On the second week of Pride, The Rustin Times has compiled a list of movies, shows and tv series where the queer characters aren’t either an afterthought or killed off after a few scenes.
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The Legend of the Underground: First released in 2021, this documentary follows the lives of several non-conforming young Nigerians. It highlights the struggles and human right violations that come with being a gender nonconforming person in Nigeria. It shows the characters fighting rampant discrimination as they make the decision to either stay in their home country or flee to countries with better protection.
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First Kill: This 2022 Netflix series has a black Lesbian character as its lead. It is a love story between two teenagers—a vampire and a vampire slayer who set out to kill each other. Along the line they realise, falling in love is way easier than killing each other.
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Legendary: Legendary is a voguing reality competition which explores the world of ball culture. What says queer experience better than ballroom? With three seasons out,you can binge your heart’s full of this goodness during the weekend.
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Heartstopper: We all love a cute coming of age story. Heartstopper is a love story centred on school mates, Charlie and Nick who realise their feelings for each other are a little more than friendly.
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B Boy Blues: In B Boy Blues, a college educated journalist from Brooklyn and a homeboy-bike messenger from Harlem fall in love. This results in a clash of class and culture as they both try to bring their very different worlds together.
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Love, Victor: The series follows the journey of teenage boy Victor Salazar as he struggles with his sexual orientation, coming out to religious parents and navigating his new relationship and friendships.
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Young Royals: Now let us talk about scandal. The plot of this Netflix series revolves around the budding relationship between Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and another student at an elite boarding school.You have to watch to find out if their love triumphs over duties and obligations to family.
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Everything Sucks: This series focuses on a group of teenagers in a regular high school doing regular stuff like discovering their sexualities, protecting their mental health and growing up. Netflix, please bring this show back.
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Disclosure: This eye opening documentary is a must watch. It explores depiction of transgender folks in TV and film, the disparity between trans representation in films and the reality of what it means to be of trans. It aims at changing the way we see and understand trans people.
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I am Samuel: Last on the list is I am Samuel. A documentary filmed over the course of five years which follows the relationship between Samuel and their partner, Alex, as they navigate life in Kenya where they face homophobic violence because of their love for each other. This documentary helps the viewers understand Kenya’s complex cultural landscape and the realities of poor kenyans who can’t afford to hide their sexual orientation.
