Favorite LGBTQ2S+ Films

[Wolvieboy17]

I recently found out that one of my co-workers, who is male, straight, early thirties, wife and two kids, has fallen in love with a queer boy who was his server at a local restaurant. He's currently struggling with how he should proceed - pursue something on the 'low' or let his wife know he intends to explore this situation.

Talk about 'surprise bi' lol! Sometimes real life really does imitate art

See, THAT is a movie I'd watch haha

 

[childeroland]

 

[Batgirl0202]

See, THAT is a movie I'd watch haha

I'm starting to think its more common than I ever realized. You see it online all the time. Guys and gals in heterosexual relationships who are secretly looking for same-sex liaisons...

I think this is the point that Deckster was making. Hopefully we're entering a more enlightened phase in our evolution where the secrecy and shame associated with bisexual longing - which is probably more 'normal' than it's ever been given credit for - will go the way of the fax machine and rotary phone.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Oh I didn't realize they were on QAF! Yet another reason to bump the show up my list



I love This Is Us. Unfortunately I've only gotten to the end of Season 3 so far, so I've got a ways to go until I finish the entire series. But I know which character you're referring to and I agree, it came out of left field lol...

I recently found out that one of my co-workers, who is male, straight, early thirties, wife and two kids, has fallen in love with a queer boy who was his server at a local restaurant. He's currently struggling with how he should proceed - pursue something on the 'low' or let his wife know he intends to explore this situation.

Talk about 'surprise bi' lol! Sometimes real life really does imitate art

Hmm… does your friend have a poly/ethically non-monogamous relationship with his wife? Or is she at least open to the idea of him exploring things with men? Far be it from me to tell anyone how to live their lives but at least speaking from personal experience, honesty is usually what works best in these situations. And poly/ENM relationships CAN work, but not usually if people are sneaking around on each other. Just my two cents.

On that note, I really wish that movies and shows (even queer-centric ones) would stop always defaulting to monogamy as the only thing that ever works. That’s not to say it can’t, but a LOT of my queer friends (and even some straight ones) have open relationships and it’s fine. I personally don’t think I’ll ever go back to monogamy. I wish more media would embrace that concept instead of acting like doing anything outside of your relationship is a cardinal sin.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Hmm… does your friend have a poly/ethically non-monogamous relationship with his wife? Or is she at least open to the idea of him exploring things with men? Far be it from me to tell anyone how to live their lives but at least speaking from personal experience, honesty is usually what works best in these situations. And poly/ENM relationships CAN work, but not usually if people are sneaking around on each other. Just my two cents.

On that note, I really wish that movies and shows (even queer-centric ones) would stop always defaulting to monogamy as the only thing that ever works. That’s not to say it can’t, but a LOT of my queer friends (and even some straight ones) have open relationships and it’s fine. I personally don’t think I’ll ever go back to monogamy. I wish more media would embrace that concept instead of acting like doing anything outside of your relationship is a cardinal sin.

Good points! I don't think the gentleman in question has thought that far ahead yet. I think he's still processing what this entire situation means for him on a personal level. And to be honest, we're not really that close. I'm still a bit surprised that he chose to confide in me. I supposed he feels a kinship with me because of how I personally self-identify...

Most of us have been in the situation where we've had someone we trusted betray us, and it's usually quite devastating. We can only hope that the individual in question will discuss things openly and honestly with his wife before he takes the plunge...

I agree too that monogamy seems to always be the default choice whenever mainstream media portrays relationships of any nature, while openness in sexual expression is frowned upon. It's so damn archaic haha. I even find myself falling into that trap more often than not. We really are products of our culture and environments after all...

 

[Deck Rickard]

Good points! I don't think the gentleman in question has thought that far ahead yet. I think he's still processing what this entire situation means for him on a personal level. And to be honest, we're not really that close. I'm still a bit surprised that he chose to confide in me. I supposed he feels a kinship with me because of how I personally self-identify...

Most of us have been in the situation where we've had someone we trusted betray us, and it's usually quite devastating. We can only hope that the individual in question will discuss things openly and honestly with his wife before he takes the plunge...

I agree too that monogamy seems to always be the default choice whenever mainstream media portrays relationships of any nature, while openness in sexual expression is frowned upon. It's so damn archaic haha. I even find myself falling into that trap more often than not. We really are products of our culture and environments after all...

Yeah, I wish media would be a bit more open-minded about polyamory and non-monogamy. Some shows and movies have embraced it but for the most part it still feels like a taboo thing when it shouldn’t be.

As for your friend, that’s awesome that he felt comfortable enough to confide in you even if you don’t know each other well. You clearly made him feel comfortable enough that he was able to share something very personal. For his sake, his wife’s sake and the sake of his potential romantic interest, I hope he’s able to be honest and it works out for the best.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Okay, I definitely have to add Everything Everywhere All At Once to my list of top queer films. It’s absolutely bonkers and easily one of the best films of the year. Highly recommend it!

 

[Batgirl0202]

Okay, I definitely have to add Everything Everywhere All At Once to my list of top queer films. It’s absolutely bonkers and easily one of the best films of the year. Highly recommend it!

This one is also on my radar! Everyone I know who's seen it has loved it, and it's sitting at 95% on RT. Incredible...

This is a long holiday weekend here in Canada so I'm gonna try to get in The Boys in the Band (remake) and The Prom (Ryan Murphy).

Full reports soon (hopefully)

 

[Deck Rickard]

This one is also on my radar! Everyone I know who's seen it has loved it, and it's sitting at 95% on RT. Incredible...

This is a long holiday weekend here in Canada so I'm gonna try to get in The Boys in the Band (remake) and The Prom (Ryan Murphy).

Full reports soon (hopefully)

I keep forgetting about The Prom. I need to watch that one because I LOVE Ariana DeBose.

Also, I can’t believe that in a thread discussing queer movies on a superhero message board, I forgot about Birds of Prey. While we don’t actually see Harley Quinn hook up with anyone in the movie, the prologue clearly shows that she’s had a girlfriend in the past and I got vibes that she and Huntress were into one another. And of course, Renee Montoya is a lesbian. AND Black Mask and Zsasz both appear to be queer (I think Ewan even said that they were). So, definitely one of the queerest CBMs yet!

 

[Batgirl0202]

I keep forgetting about The Prom. I need to watch that one because I LOVE Ariana DeBose.

Also, I can’t believe that in a thread discussing queer movies on a superhero message board, I forgot about Birds of Prey. While we don’t actually see Harley Quinn hook up with anyone in the movie, the prologue clearly shows that she’s had a girlfriend in the past and I got vibes that she and Huntress were into one another. And of course, Renee Montoya is a lesbian. AND Black Mask and Zsasz both appear to be queer (I think Ewan even said that they were). So, definitely one of the queerest CBMs yet!

You're right! It seems like BOP flew under the radar and basically just came and went, which is a shame. I really enjoyed it and would have liked to see it turn into a franchise...

I think timing played a big role. Being released just as COVID Phase One was ramping up couldn't have done it any favors...

 

[Deck Rickard]

You're right! It seems like BOP flew under the radar and basically just came and went, which is a shame. I really enjoyed it and would have liked to see it turn into a franchise...

I think timing played a big role. Being released just as COVID Phase One was ramping up couldn't have done it any favors...

Yeah, Covid definitely hurt that movie. I remember going to see it with one of my off-and-on partners and that was the last time I saw her for a LONG time. It’s sad because Margot’s best performances as Harley were in the two movies that underperformed. I fear we may never see her don that pale makeup again.

Though that rumor about Gaga playing Harley certainly has me intrigued. I’ll see anything starring Mother Monster.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Though that rumor about Gaga playing Harley certainly has me intrigued. I’ll see anything starring Mother Monster.

You and me both

I thought Gaga absolutely slayed in Star is Born, and I hear she rules in House of Gucci too (which is on my Prime list).

I'd love to see Gaga in the MCU at some point too. The only question is which character is she best suited for?

 

[Deck Rickard]

You and me both

I thought Gaga absolutely slayed in Star is Born, and I hear she rules in House of Gucci too (which is on my Prime list).

I'd love to see Gaga in the MCU at some point too. The only question is which character is she best suited for?

She was amazing in A Star Is Born and Gucci is on my list too. I don’t know why I haven’t sat down to watch it yet… Gaga being awesome and Leto being awful… how can I resist? Hahaha

I’ve also fancast Gaga in my head for a Marvel movie over the years. I’m not sure which character would be best but I think she could make a killer Dazzler or Emma Frost. The latter needs to be redeemed after how bland January Jones portrayed her lol.

 

[Batgirl0202]

I’ve also fancast Gaga in my head for a Marvel movie over the years. I’m not sure which character would be best but I think she could make a killer Dazzler or Emma Frost. The latter needs to be redeemed after how bland January Jones portrayed her lol.

Both great ideas! Dazzler would of course be a very logical choice. Can you imagine Gaga kicking butt and belting out original tunes as Alison Blaire?? Pure geek bliss haha

So I talked my peeps into watching Boys in the Band (2020) with me last night. Great movie! Awesome acting and still very relevant to the current queer experience, even though it's a period piece...

At first I thought some of the actors were chewing scenery, with Jim Parsons being the worst offender. But doing some research afterwards, I read that both the original film and the remake were based on the 1968 play by Mart Crowley, and suddenly the acting styles made sense. Theatrical performance is (generally) more exaggerated than movie acting...

Anyway, check this one out if you haven't already

 

[Deck Rickard]

Both great ideas! Dazzler would of course be a very logical choice. Can you imagine Gaga kicking butt and belting out original tunes as Alison Blaire?? Pure geek bliss haha

So I talked my peeps into watching Boys in the Band (2020) with me last night. Great movie! Awesome acting and still very relevant to the current queer experience, even though it's a period piece...

At first I thought some of the actors were chewing scenery, with Jim Parsons being the worst offender. But doing some research afterwards, I read that both the original film and the remake were based on the 1968 play by Mart Crowley, and suddenly the acting styles made sense. Theatrical performance is (generally) more exaggerated than movie acting...

Anyway, check this one out if you haven't already

Agreed; Gaga as a musical superhero would be amazing. I remember there were rumors that Taylor Swift was going to play Dazzler in the FoX-Men universe at one point. That might have been good too, though I’m sure Bryan Singer would have found some way to **** it up. Anyway, Gaga would be a much better choice.

And yeah, I’ve been meaning to watch The Boys in the Band. I had planned to check it out when it came out but then I missed it and kinda forgot about it. Definitely have to remedy that!

Over the weekend, I binged Paper Girls on Prime, which is based on an Image comic. It’s mostly a good show although sometimes characters act in really stupid ways just to serve the plot. That said, there is a really cool queer storyline in it so I would definitely recommend it. And the performances are all great.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Agreed; Gaga as a musical superhero would be amazing. I remember there were rumors that Taylor Swift was going to play Dazzler in the FoX-Men universe at one point. That might have been good too, though I’m sure Bryan Singer would have found some way to **** it up. Anyway, Gaga would be a much better choice.

And yeah, I’ve been meaning to watch The Boys in the Band. I had planned to check it out when it came out but then I missed it and kinda forgot about it. Definitely have to remedy that!

Over the weekend, I binged Paper Girls on Prime, which is based on an Image comic. It’s mostly a good show although sometimes characters act in really stupid ways just to serve the plot. That said, there is a really cool queer storyline in it so I would definitely recommend it. And the performances are all great.

I'm also a big fan of Taylor Swift but I feel like Gaga has an edgier persona. Of the two of them I think she would bring more attitude to Dazzler than Swift, who is a bit more vanilla lol...

I noticed a new show on Netflix this weekend starring Neil Patrick Harris called Uncoupled that I added to my list. It's about a gay man who has to navigate single life again after breaking up with his long-term boyfriend.

I like this concept because it looks like it will focus more on the experiences of gay men who have aged out of their prime dating years, which is a nice break from all the films about queer twentysomethings that we typically see in this genre...

 

[Deck Rickard]

I'm also a big fan of Taylor Swift but I feel like Gaga has an edgier persona. Of the two of them I think she would bring more attitude to Dazzler than Swift, who is a bit more vanilla lol...

I noticed a new show on Netflix this weekend starring Neil Patrick Harris called Uncoupled that I added to my list. It's about a gay man who has to navigate single life again after breaking up with his long-term boyfriend.

I like this concept because it looks like it will focus more on the experiences of gay men who have aged out of their prime dating years, which is a nice break from all the films about queer twentysomethings that we typically see in this genre...

Yeah, Gaga has an edge both musically and probably as an actor too (though I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taylor act). Though I would also be intrigued by what she could do as a villainous character too.

Speaking of Gaga, it looks like they based the look of the character Desire in the new Sandman series on Gaga (or at least there was probably some influence there). I’m really excited about that character because they were one of the first non-binary characters in comics and are being portrayed by non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park (who is fine as hell btw).

And yeah, it’s great that NPH is doing a show about being a single, middle aged gay man. Like you said, so many queer shows focus on twenty-somethings and as someone who only really started to come out in my mid/late 30s, it’s refreshing to also have content I can relate to, age-wise. I’ll have to check that show out.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Yeah, Gaga has an edge both musically and probably as an actor too (though I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taylor act). Though I would also be intrigued by what she could do as a villainous character too.

Speaking of Gaga, it looks like they based the look of the character Desire in the new Sandman series on Gaga (or at least there was probably some influence there). I’m really excited about that character because they were one of the first non-binary characters in comics and are being portrayed by non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park (who is fine as hell btw).

And yeah, it’s great that NPH is doing a show about being a single, middle aged gay man. Like you said, so many queer shows focus on twenty-somethings and as someone who only really started to come out in my mid/late 30s, it’s refreshing to also have content I can relate to, age-wise. I’ll have to check that show out.

The only thing I've ever seen Taylor in where she was required to act was Cats, and the less said about that the better lol. Though to be fair the entire movie was a train wreck, the failure of which was hardly hers alone...

I'm so stoked for Sandman, the trailer looks awesome! I didn't realize there was a non-binary actor in the cast. All the more reason to bump it up my viewing list now

Yeah the emphasis on youth and beauty in queer-themed films is tiring, and quite honestly problematic too. I'm always grateful for any media that shows there is indeed life for LGBTQ2S folks beyond the age of 30 lol...

 

[Deck Rickard]

Haha yeah I still haven’t seen Cats and I don’t know that I ever will. I love a good bad movie but even I have my limits. Maybe if there is a Rifftrax of it to make it more tolerable.

And yes, I’m SO hyped for Sandman. I’ve been re-reading the comics to get ready. Everything in the show looks so good and a lot of what I have seen is ripped straight from the comic pages.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Haha yeah I still haven’t seen Cats and I don’t know that I ever will. I love a good bad movie but even I have my limits. Maybe if there is a Rifftrax of it to make it more tolerable.

And yes, I’m SO hyped for Sandman. I’ve been re-reading the comics to get ready. Everything in the show looks so good and a lot of what I have seen is ripped straight from the comic pages.

I'd recommend Cats after having had a couple drinks or whatever else you enjoy doing recreationally *ahem* just for the overall experience. It's not so much that it's "bad" as it is utterly bizarre. I think if you're a serious fan of musical theatre (which for the record I'm not), you might find the film more meaningful. Unfortunately it just left me scratching my head and fighting to stay awake...

Regrettably I know nothing about Sandman from the source material. However, one of my past lady friends was a total Sandman freak and owned all the trades. I wish I had time to bone up on some reading before I get around to watching the series, whenever that might be

 

[Weather Witch]

This thread already has just about all the classics and a lot of LGBT+ content that I do really enjoy.

I do have to give the obligatory shout-out to Call Me by Your Name as a movie that I've always found incredibly problematic and that all my LGBT+ friends similarly reject. I still don't get why American audiences flocked to it.

Thankfully this thread once again proved we have a lot of great alternatives. Hope that list will only become longer in the next few years.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I'd recommend Cats after having had a couple drinks or whatever else you enjoy doing recreationally *ahem* just for the overall experience. It's not so much that it's "bad" as it is utterly bizarre. I think if you're a serious fan of musical theatre (which for the record I'm not), you might find the film more meaningful. Unfortunately it just left me scratching my head and fighting to stay awake...

Regrettably I know nothing about Sandman from the source material. However, one of my past lady friends was a total Sandman freak and owned all the trades. I wish I had time to bone up on some reading before I get around to watching the series, whenever that might be

Haha yeah, I know that if I ever watch Cats, I’ll have to be at least somewhat inebriated lol. I’m a fan of musical theatre but the trend over the past 20 years or so of turning all the biggest Broadway musicals into films has been a mixed bag at best. Chicago was okay, Rent was horrible, Les Miz looked great but mostly sounded terrible, and Cats seems to be the Morbius of musicals lol. I think part of the problem is that some of these shows are structured in a way that doesn’t translate well to film. Rent in particular was a mess because the majority of the dialogue is sung in the show and they tried to change that all to spoken dialogue in the movie. It just sucked the life out of it.

This thread already has just about all the classics and a lot of LGBT+ content that I do really enjoy.

I do have to give the obligatory shout-out to Call Me by Your Name as a movie that I've always found incredibly problematic and that all my LGBT+ friends similarly reject. I still don't get why American audiences flocked to it.

Thankfully this thread once again proved we have a lot of great alternatives. Hope that list will only become longer in the next few years.

Yeah I missed Call Me By Your Name when it came out and I’ve never gotten around to seeing it because of the problematic, predatory nature of the story (older guy sleeping with an underage guy). And then when it came out that Armie Hammer is a real-life sexual predator, I decided I definitely didn’t need to see it.

 

[Weather Witch]

Yeah I missed Call Me By Your Name when it came out and I’ve never gotten around to seeing it because of the problematic, predatory nature of the story (older guy sleeping with an underage guy). And then when it came out that Armie Hammer is a real-life sexual predator, I decided I definitely didn’t need to see it.

Pretty much. It's not just the age difference either. Their relationship has a lot of power imbalances and red flags. In addition to sexualizing a character who would be underage in most of the world.

It feels like the fanbase of the movie is mostly female, with gay males mostly rejecting it due to the toxicity, at least judging by my own social circles. I don't think it depicts anything remotely like a healthy M/M relationship.

Anyway, didn't mean to go on a whole rant there, since this thread is filled with positive examples. It just bothers me a little to see this one among them.

 

[Snow Queen]

Call Me By Your Name sits next to Blue is the Warmest Colour on the list of arthouse queer movies everyone tells me are good but I can't stand.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Pretty much. It's not just the age difference either. Their relationship has a lot of power imbalances and red flags. In addition to sexualizing a character who would be underage in most of the world.

It feels like the fanbase of the movie is mostly female, with gay males mostly rejecting it due to the toxicity, at least judging by my own social circles. I don't think it depicts anything remotely like a healthy M/M relationship.

Anyway, didn't mean to go on a whole rant there, since this thread is filled with positive examples. It just bothers me a little to see this one among them.

Hey, it’s good to call out problematic stuff, especially in LGBTQ2S+ content because things like the example you gave reinforce s***ty stereotypes about the queer community. The GOP had seized on this “grooming” nonsense, claiming that everyone from regular queer people to DISNEY are out there corrupting and brainwashing children (meanwhile, they have so many sexual predators in their party that it’s insane anyone believes a word they say). So films that reinforce that crap need to be called out for it.