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June is finally here, which means it’s once again Pride Month! LGBTQ+ people may exist year-round, but this month is purpose-built to shine a spotlight on the special, unique, and diverse identities that are often overlooked a majority of the year. There are rainbows everywhere you look, parades, and a general feeling that you should be celebrating what makes you special without fear of bigotry or discrimination.
There are a million ways to celebrate Pride Month, even if you’re not the type to wave your rainbow flag in the streets. If you’re looking for a low-key way to celebrate Pride Month this year, then consider checking out this list of movies and TV shows that celebrate LGBTQ+ identities simply as they are, telling the stories of characters who come to terms with themselves even in the face of seemingly impossible struggles.
10. A League of Their Own (2022)
Created by Will Graham and Abbi Johnson in 2022, A League of Their Own is based on the 1992 film of the same name. The series, which was unfortunately canceled in 2023, tells the story of a group of women who band together to form an all-women baseball league…and they just so happen to find love along the way. Johnson stars as Carson Shaw, a Chicago housewife who joins the Rockford Peaches while her husband is away fighting WWII and begins an affair with teammate Greta Gill (D’Arcy Carden), who encourages Carson to become more confident in her identity.
Aside from Carson and Greta, A League of Their Own also stars Chante Adams as Maxine “Max” Chapman, a closeted lesbian, and a racially diverse cast. The series is available to stream on Prime Video.
9. Our Flag Means Death (2022)
There’s love on the high seas with Our Flag Means Death, created by David Jenkins. First premiering on HBO Max in 2022, the series is a period romantic comedy that asks one simple question: what if the pirates were in love? Loosely based around real-life pirates, Our Flag Means Death follows Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet, aka the Gentleman Pirate, as he falls in love with the fearsome Captain Blackbeard, aka Edward Teach (Taika Waititi). Even aside from the main couple, the show also includes Lucius and Black Pete (Nathan Foad and Matthew Maher), two members of Stede’s crew who end up married, and Jim (Vico Ortiz), a skilled and genderless pirate.
Despite its runaway popularity with LGBTQ+ audiences, Our Flag Means Death was unfortunately canceled after two seasons, but you can watch it on Max.
8. Red, White, & Royal Blue (2023)
True love isn’t always diplomatic, and that’s especially true with Red, White, & Royal Blue. Based on Casey McQuinston’s bestselling novel, the 2023 movie tells the story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first woman President, who falls in love with his “sworn rival,” Prince Henry of Wales (Nicholas Galitzine). After initially being forced into a fake friendship, Alex and Henry discover a true connection and have to deal with the complications of falling in love while also battling the press and politics, each balancing the weight of a nation on their shoulders.
Last month, it was announced that the movie adaptation of Red, White, & Royal Blue will be getting a sequel, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that. In the meantime, be sure to watch it on Prime Video.
7. Harley Quinn (2019)
Anyone who’s ever heard about Harley Quinn knows that she’s devoted to the Joker to the point of obsession – and that their relationship is far from healthy. Thankfully, a lot of modern adaptations have started putting a new spin on Harley, and not many do it better than the 2019 animated series Harley Quinn. The four-season series follows Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) along a journey of self-discovery after she leaves the Joker, coming into herself as a supervillain, forming her own crew, and eventually finding new love with her best-friend-turned-girlfriend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell).
Harley Quinn was renewed for a fifth season last November, and while we’re waiting for that to come out, be sure to check the show out on Max.
6. Nimona (2023)
If you’re looking for a movie that is unapologetically itself, then Nimona might be your thing. Released on Netflix in 2023, the animated movie follows Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a disgraced former knight who teams up with Nimona (Chloe Grace Mortez), a punk-rock shapeshifter who sometimes looks like a young girl but is mostly just Nimona. The unlikely pair work to clear Ballister’s name for murder as they are chased by his boyfriend, champion knight Ambrosius Goldenlion.
Thanks to Nimona’s shapeshifting abilities and the influence of its creator ND Stevenson, Nimona is a movie filled to the brim with transgender themes and doesn’t shy away from its LGBTQ+ themes. It was nominated for an Oscar and a GLAAD Media Award and won two Annie Awards.
5. The Owl House (2020)
If The Owl House could be summed up in two words, it would be “spooky rainbows.” Premiering on Disney+ in 2020, the show follows Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles), an outcast Dominican-American teenage girl, as she stumbles into the Boiling Isles, a realm filled with witches, demons, and magic. Luz meets Eda (Wendie Malik), aka “The Owl Lady,” an eccentric and rebellious but powerful witch who agrees to teach her how to use magic. The three-season series follows Luz as she carves out a spot for herself in the Boiling Isles, surrounded by people who love and accept her for who she is. Along the way, she falls in love with her classmate and friend and reformed bully Amity Blight (Mae Whitman), who’s also learning to grow beyond her mother’s iron fist. Their relationship makes The Owl House the first Disney movie or show to have an LGBTQ+ couple in leading roles.
In addition to Luz and Amity, The Owl House was also applauded for having a non-binary main character, same-sex parents, and several on-screen kisses between LGBTQ+ characters. Unfortunately, Disney canceled the series in 2022, but its third season still premiered as three extra-long “specials,” and you can catch it on Disney+.
4. The Half of It (2020)
Released in 2020, The Half of It is a coming-of-age comedy-drama helmed by Alice Wu. The movie centers around Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a smart but socially outcast girl. In need of money to help her depressed father, Ellie is hired by her classmate Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer), who needs Ellie to help him write letters to woo the school’s popular girl, Aster Flores – unaware that Ellie also has feelings for Aster (Alexxis Lemire), but is too shy to confess. Despite that, Ellie agrees to help Paul, and the two become friends as the charade they’ve built grows and then collapses around them, leading Ellie, Paul, and Aster to realize things about themselves that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
The Half of It was applauded for how it twisted the expected “boy meets girl” story on its head, and it was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a GLAAD Award. Be sure to check it out on Netflix.
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
If historical classics are your bread and butter, then Portrait of a Lady of Fire might be for you. Set in 18th century France, the 2019 movie tells the story of Marianne, a painter who’s commissioned to paint a portrait of Heloise, a young woman about to be married off to a Milanese nobleman. Despite her impending wedding, the pair grow closer and closer as Marianne works on the painting, becoming Heloise’s daily companion at the overbearing mother’s request. They eventually embark on a short but passionate affair, only to be torn apart as Marianne finishes the painting and Heloise is forced to leave for her wedding.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire has gone down as a classic LGBTQ+ movie, and it even won the Queer Palm at 2019 Cannes, becoming the first film directed by a woman to do so. You can stream it on Hulu.
2. Bottoms (2023)
Bottoms is a 2023 satirical comedy that follows PJ and Josie (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri), two high school seniors who, after lying their way out of a miscommunication error, seize the opportunity to start a fight club as a way to get closer to Isabel and Brittany, popular cheerleaders who they have crushes on. The fight club gets off the ground through a wacky series of misadventures and some misunderstandings regarding two of the school’s football players, but after PJ and Josie foil their neighboring school’s murder plot at a football game, they might get their happy-ever-afters after all.
Bottoms received a popular reception from critics. The movie was nominated for over a dozen awards and won two: a Sidewalk Film Festival Award and a GLAAD Media Award. It’s perfect if you want to celebrate Pride Month with an LGBTQ+ movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Don’t forget to check it out on Prime Video.
1. The Prom (2020)
The Prom is a movie based on a musical, which was itself based on a real-life event. The movie version, released on Netflix in 2020, tells the story of Emma Nolan, a 17-year-old girl who’s dating Alyssa Greene, the closeted daughter of their school’s homophobic PTA president. After the PTA refuses to let Emma bring her girlfriend to their senior prom, her story attracts the attention of a group of washed-up Broadway actors who crash into Indiana dead-set on helping Emma find acceptance and getting her to prom one way or another. Along the way, the actors come together to throw an all-inclusive prom, Alyssa finds the strength to come out to her mother, and Emma shares her story with the world to provide a lifeline for kids who need it, just like her.
The cast of The Prom includes star-studded names like Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan Michael-Key, and Andrew Rannells, among others, with Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma and Ariana DeBose as Alyssa. The movie, despite being called “goofy” by some critics for its somewhat heavy-handed handling of LGBTQ issues, was generally received positively.
