Our ultimate compilation of LGBTQ+ recs
While celebrating LGBTQ+ stories and creators is something we should do all year long, Pride Month provides the perfect opportunity to give them a little extra emphasis. Behold: our curated list of top-notch content featuring LGBTQ+ storylines, topics, and artists.
What to watch:
Are You the One? (Season 8) (Amazon Prime)
Breaking from the show’s standard format of secretly setting up several heterosexual couples who then need to discover who their “perfect match” is, Are You the One? (Season 8) features an entirely bi and pansexual cast - so any other cast member could be anyone’s set-up. This season is truly delightful because the cast is *so* much more supportive, and *so* much less explosive, than all of the previous seasons. Watching the participants find love and celebrate their queer identities made this season an unexpectedly wholesome watch.
Mae Martin did us all a favour by bringing Lisa Kudrow’s comic excellence into our lives once more in Feel Good. Lisa features as Mae’s mum in the show, which follows the protagonist navigating new relationships, addiction, recovery, gender identity crises, the comedy world, and mental health. Mae is a star, but you also appreciate the brilliant Charlotte Ritchie, from Ghosts and Fresh Meat.
Disclosure (Netflix)
Disclosure is the incredibly necessary and long overdue documentary looking at the representation of trans people in TV and film. With talking heads such as Laverne Cox, the Netflix film is a crash course in how representation has real-world effects and is only just starting to improve. It’s incredibly accessible to those who don’t feel clued up on their LGBTQ+ film history, but also manages not to be patronising or reductive for the communities it discusses.
But I’m A Cheerleader (Amazon Prime)
Before RuPaul was a drag superstar and Natasha Lyonne was Russian Doll’s tour de force, they donned pastels and delivered legendary one-liners in the ‘90s rom com But I’m A Cheerleader. It’s camp, funny, and wholesome - a rarity in the lesbian film canon.
Fire Island (Disney+)
There are plenty of quirky Jane Austen adaptations out there, but this one is set on Fire Island, a holiday destination for American gay men. It still manages to have a fresh take on the somewhat overdone Pride & Prejudice plot. Fall in love with performances from Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, and Margaret Cho, as well as some killer Marisa Tomei impressions.
Contrapoints (YouTube)
Contrapoints - AKA YouTuber Natalie Wynn - is difficult to describe. Her YouTube videos are best understood as video essays, but that’s far too dry a title for what Wynn really makes. In eloquent and highly stylized videos, she dons drag-inspired looks in fantastical sets while delving deep into some pretty heavy duty topics. She discusses subjects like “Transtrenders” and “Beauty”, relying on heavy doses of dry humour, her own experiences as a trans lesbian, and her academic philosophy background to bolster each entertaining exploration
Source: Contrapoints - “Opulence”
What to listen to:
Call Me Mother
Journalist and The Transgender Issue author Shon Faye interviews LGBTQ+ trailblazers in the podcast Call Me Mother. It’s the chance to gain personal insights into significant moments in queer history, as well as feel a connection to community elders that seems increasingly difficult in the modern world. A particular highlight is Siobhan Fahey talking about London’s lesbian punks.
Bad Gays
This might be a shocker, but not all LGBTQ+ people are perfect. At best they’re complicated, at worst they’re downright evil. The Bad Gays podcast pokes fun and educates its audience on some of the ‘bad gays’ of the past, from writers and singers to politicans and nobility. And they also have a book out to provide their take on homosexual history!
Disco Fever Playlist
If pride is a protest, then disco is the marching anthem. Disco is the genre that reinvented queer nightlife and gave cultural capital to multiple marginalised communities, and this playlist will help introduce you to some of the greatest bops. Historic events like Disco Demolition Night highlight how music taste can be connected to racist and homophobic attacks - but it also highlights that sometimes rebellion can even come in the form of a good boogie.
Dirty Computer
Janelle Monáe’s visual album takes the aesthetics of cyborg feminism to a whole other level, playing with gender and sexuality in a poppy, afrofuturistic setting. Oh, and there are also some proper tunes on the record. Immerse yourself in the world of Dirty Computer, including Prince-inspired bisexual+ banger ‘Make Me Feel’.
Source: Janelle Monáe - “Dirty Computer (feat. Brian Wilson)”
What to read:
The Price of Salt
Price of Salt is known for being one of the first ever lesbian love stories that has a happy ending (no spoilers, we promise). You might be familiar with the narrative from the 2015 film Carol, which is based on the book - but trust us, the novel’s beautiful prose is definitely worth its salt 😉
The Queer AF Newsletter
Here at The Know, we believe that there are healthier ways to consume media. Which means we love Queer AF, a free weekly newsletter that skips past the doomscrolling to give you a more productive take on the week’s LGBTQ+ news - plus it includes an underrepresented writer to provide their “queer gaze” on the week.
Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92
If you want to expand your knowledge of the popular dance form, voguing, this is the book for you. Flick through photographs and testimonials of those who defined the voguing scene and recognised its incredible sociopolitical potential, before Madonna or Drag Race laid claim to the dance.
The Bi-ble: Essays and Narratives About Bisexuality
This is an anthology from a range of writers who have had complex relationships with bisexuality, often overlapping with other facets of their identity. There’s now two volumes, which help dispel notions that sexuality is a binary choice.
All The Things She Said: Everything I Know About Modern Lesbian and Bi Culture
Daisy Jones grapples with the broad strokes and nuances of lesbian and bi culture that are often forgotten by both the wider LGBTQ+ and straight communities - such as its fashion and music influence. It’s the ultimate guide on the past 20 years or so in queer culture, starting with a look at the fascinating history and legacy of sapphic banger, tATu’s ‘All The Things She Said’.
Source: Bookshop