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| Photo source: fanpop.com |
If you ever have a movie night with or ask for show recommendations from a friend that just so happens to be queer, there's a pretty high chance they'll pick a media text from a universally known LGBTQ+ inclusive shortlist. And by shortlist, I mean a really, really, really short-list. Now, I can't overcompensate in stating that even in this day and age there are little to no representative shows because, in the past couple of years, the list in question has been evolving for the better. For the better, yes, but are we quite there yet? Eh...
When a new show is announced or a trailer for a new season is released, fans flock around the new content, whipping up a just frenzy of excitement and hyping everything up as much as is humanly possible. Typically, this frenzy is elevated to a churning storm when the new content features LGBTQ+ folk, because nothing is more engaging than feeling represented and portrayed in creative mediums, and the community clutches at such representation with both hands held tight.
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix) for example, is somewhat infamous, often sitting at the top of the aforementioned shortlist of queer shows. Frequently plastered on Netflix's homepage, this seven-season-strong sequence is pretty much entirely fleshed around LGBTQ+ individuals. Hell, it even has the tall, dark, broody lesbian that even straight viewers swoon over (Alex Vause, I'm lookin' at you). Its popularity, however, is not exclusively based on its content. Few shows delve into LGBTQ+ storylines on such a wide basis - Orange is set in an all-female prison, for God's sake. Can anything get much gayer than that? And although this is the case for the majority, the success of Orange is partly based on its lack of competition.
As these queer shows are so sparsely dispersed, it becomes even more upsetting when they fall victim to early cancellations. Sense8 is a potent example of this. I was gut-wrenchingly shocked at the announcement of its dismissal in the summer of 2017 because this show was and continues to be one of the most intricate, open, representative shows that I have ever encountered.
When a new show is announced or a trailer for a new season is released, fans flock around the new content, whipping up a just frenzy of excitement and hyping everything up as much as is humanly possible. Typically, this frenzy is elevated to a churning storm when the new content features LGBTQ+ folk, because nothing is more engaging than feeling represented and portrayed in creative mediums, and the community clutches at such representation with both hands held tight.
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix) for example, is somewhat infamous, often sitting at the top of the aforementioned shortlist of queer shows. Frequently plastered on Netflix's homepage, this seven-season-strong sequence is pretty much entirely fleshed around LGBTQ+ individuals. Hell, it even has the tall, dark, broody lesbian that even straight viewers swoon over (Alex Vause, I'm lookin' at you). Its popularity, however, is not exclusively based on its content. Few shows delve into LGBTQ+ storylines on such a wide basis - Orange is set in an all-female prison, for God's sake. Can anything get much gayer than that? And although this is the case for the majority, the success of Orange is partly based on its lack of competition.
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| Picture source: Sense8 on Netflix |
Sense8 follows the overlapping narratives of eight equally-explored protagonists from every walk of life imaginable. They are diverse in their locations, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, sexualities and experiences. Polyamorous characters, gay characters, bisexual characters, transgender characters, characters of colour, characters from varying family structures, from different childhoods, with different stories and different experiences... Need I go on?
Not only are these depictions diverse in their presentation, they are also accurate. When you curl up on the sofa after a day at work or school and want nothing more than to give your mind sanctuary in the fictional world of a series, feeling represented and understood in these worlds makes the experience all the more comforting. Having a connection with and feeling a relatability to shows is (I cannot speak for all, but this seems to be a common belief) vital to queer folk. This feeling of illustration often draws LGBTQ+ people to shows that represent people like them, and this is why we appear to have an extremely selective compilation of favourite media texts - because there are few shows that provide us with this canopy of accuracy.
With the surge in social influencers and the platforms to do such influencing on comes more independent queer content. While much of the community does, in fact, have similar tastes when it comes to high-end media productions on mediums like Netflix, more candid avenues like YouTube provide a plethora of equally representative shows that often go unrecognised. As they are often written, shot and produced by individuals rather than companies, such projects often fall under the radar within the community due to their subsequent lack of promotion. I don't want to make this article sound too whiny, so I'm going to shed some light on some of these shows now, in case your eyeballs are searching for some fresh LGBTQ+ content...
Barbelle is a stunningly authentic series that follows girlfriends Alice and Veronica as they navigate the balance between their relationship and their success as a pop-duo. The humour in this series is beautifully witty and the characters are both infuriating and relatable. Pretty much the perfect combination of sarcasm, rawness, and women-loving-women, if you ask me.
If you've ever engaged with LGBTQ+ communities on social media, chances are you would have at least heard of Carmilla: the web-series based on the lesbian-vampire-centred novella by Sheridan Le Fanu. The representation in this little web-series that could spans from lesbian relationships to non-binary identities (to name a few), and is filmed from the perspective of protagonist Laura Hollis' webstream. It's a rollercoaster but like, a broody one (Carmilla Karnstein, I'm lookin' at you).
All For One... Ah, this show is sure as hell one of the most charming I've seen. Bisexual protagonist, Dorothy Castlemore, is the flannel-clad embodiment of an angel. Queer sexualities, same-sex relationships, and mental illness are just a handful of the topics explored in this series. Plus - spoiler alert - Dorothy and Connie are really, really, really, cute together.
Project Inferno is one of the lesser-known web-series out of this list, but this status is extremely unjust. Yes, it's a little cringey, and yes, it's a little hard to take seriously sometimes, but it's pretty damn cute. As a result of a science experiment gone wrong, Emily can... shoot fire... from her hand... Hear me out, though. There are accurate, sweet representations of same-sex relationships and it's just a quirky series that deserves more attention than it gets, man.
I only started watching Unfortunately Ashly recently, and boy, was I late to the party. You can get through the entirety of both series in an hour or two, and it's definitely worth bundling up under blankets with a hot drink pressed in your palm. It's an easy, adorable, very gay watch and I cannot recommend it enough.
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| Picture source: Barbelle Series on YouTube |
If you've ever engaged with LGBTQ+ communities on social media, chances are you would have at least heard of Carmilla: the web-series based on the lesbian-vampire-centred novella by Sheridan Le Fanu. The representation in this little web-series that could spans from lesbian relationships to non-binary identities (to name a few), and is filmed from the perspective of protagonist Laura Hollis' webstream. It's a rollercoaster but like, a broody one (Carmilla Karnstein, I'm lookin' at you).
All For One... Ah, this show is sure as hell one of the most charming I've seen. Bisexual protagonist, Dorothy Castlemore, is the flannel-clad embodiment of an angel. Queer sexualities, same-sex relationships, and mental illness are just a handful of the topics explored in this series. Plus - spoiler alert - Dorothy and Connie are really, really, really, cute together.
Project Inferno is one of the lesser-known web-series out of this list, but this status is extremely unjust. Yes, it's a little cringey, and yes, it's a little hard to take seriously sometimes, but it's pretty damn cute. As a result of a science experiment gone wrong, Emily can... shoot fire... from her hand... Hear me out, though. There are accurate, sweet representations of same-sex relationships and it's just a quirky series that deserves more attention than it gets, man.
I only started watching Unfortunat
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| Picture source: 'Unfortunatly Ashly' on Youtube |
I understand that all of the aforementioned YouTube series are centred around female same-sex relationships as opposed to males, but they are unfortunately even harder to source. Sucks, I know.
On a more informal scale, queer YouTube content creators tend to be relatively more balanced and are entirely accessible. Granted, there are the popular queer YouTubers like Shannon Beveridge and Hannah Hart, but there are so, so many queer avenues for you to venture into. Stevie Boebi, Chella Man, Willow Faith, Alex Bertie, Ally Hills, Rose and Rosie, Sam Collins, Laura (just Laura, kinda like Cher...), Alayna Joy, Breanne Williamson, Nadia Mohebban, and Alex Elmslie are just a few, each reigning from varying plots on the sexuality and gender spectrums. Stevie creates queer, sex-positive content that will teach LGBTQ+ kids more than the classroom ever did, Chella is ballooning gender-queer, deaf, POC representation on the big screen, Rose and Rosie are a happily married, hilarious same-sex couple, Breanne has recently released a short film titled, 'Coming Out' and Laura... Laura likes Skittles.
On a more informal scale, queer YouTube content creators tend to be relatively more balanced and are entirely accessible. Granted, there are the popular queer YouTubers like Shannon Beveridge and Hannah Hart, but there are so, so many queer avenues for you to venture into. Stevie Boebi, Chella Man, Willow Faith, Alex Bertie, Ally Hills, Rose and Rosie, Sam Collins, Laura (just Laura, kinda like Cher...), Alayna Joy, Breanne Williamson, Nadia Mohebban, and Alex Elmslie are just a few, each reigning from varying plots on the sexuality and gender spectrums. Stevie creates queer, sex-positive content that will teach LGBTQ+ kids more than the classroom ever did, Chella is ballooning gender-queer, deaf, POC representation on the big screen, Rose and Rosie are a happily married, hilarious same-sex couple, Breanne has recently released a short film titled, 'Coming Out' and Laura... Laura likes Skittles.
Look, queer shows and creators are not all bad. I'm just glad we have some. Sure, there are issues of queerbaiting in the mainstream media, our shows are often prematurely ended, LGBTQ+ content has been censored on a variety of platforms... But, there are series and contents out there catered entirely for us, you just have to know where to look.
Hopefully, amongst my moaning and groaning, I may have introduced you to some creators or shows that you didn't know about before. Broaden your horizons! Watch more gay content! Maybe you could even create something - widen our specialised media texts! Make gay things!
Hopefully, amongst my moaning and groaning, I may have introduced you to some creators or shows that you didn't know about before. Broaden your horizons! Watch more gay content! Maybe you could even create something - widen our specialised media texts! Make gay things!
Article by: PJ
