My queer reading and watching list
The beach reads and binge-worthy TV shows that are making my summer delightfully queer.
This week, I’m going to do something a little different.
Rather than share another story of queer activism and leadership within Scouting, I wanted to point you all to some of my favorite queer stories on TV and in print right now.
I’ve been absolutely blown away by the quantity and quality of the LGBTQ+ narratives I’ve been seeing lately. Even as a queer person myself, these books and shows have really expanded my understanding of the queer experience and of our collective history.
So without further adieu, here’s some of my favorite queer content to fuel your reading and watching lists.
What I’m reading:
“One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston. I don’t even know how to put my love for this book into words. It’s a joyfully queer love story between time-traveling lesbians in New York. If that doesn’t hook you, I don’t know what will.
“The Engagement” by Sasha Issenberg. This book tells the full, 25-year story of America’s struggle over same-sex marriage. It’s essential reading if you want to understand how we got to the 2015 Supreme Court decision that made marriage equality the law of the land.
“Untamed” by Glennon Doyle. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but it quickly became one of my favorites. Doyle uses stories of her queer, blended family to give us all a wake-up call for living more authentic lives.
“Dancer from the Dance" by Andrew Holleran. This one’s a classic. Originally published in 1978, it’s widely hailed as the defining gay novel of that generation.
“Detransition, Baby” by Torrey Peters. I truly struggled to put this book down. It’s a provocative story of trans womanhood and queer family that explores all sorts of messy, urgent questions about both.
“The Groom Will Keep His Name” by Matt Ortile. This is a collection of essays by a gay Filipino immigrant learning to navigate American culture and society. I laughed, I cried — I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
What I’m watching:
“Pose” on FX. I mean, do I even have to explain this one? “Pose” is absolutely iconic. Its third and final season just came to an end, but I still can’t stop thinking about the powerful story it told. The show takes us into New York’s underground ball culture of the 1980s and 90s, and “features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles,” according to FX.
“Atypical” on Netflix. This one is more tangentially queer, but I still love it. The main character Sam — a teen on the autism spectrum — is straight, but his queer sister Casey gets a wonderful storyline in the later seasons that’s just delightful.
“Pride” on Hulu. This decade-by-decade queer history series is required watching. It’s an incredibly fascinating look at the queer liberation movement from the 1950s to today.
“Feel Good” on Netflix. I really loved this semi-autobiographical series from stand-up comic Mae Martin. It’s short, sweet and full of queer joy.
“Schitt’s Creek” on Netflix. Truly, who can resist this show? I did when I first saw it, but when I came back to it a year or so later, I couldn’t stop watching. David’s gay love story is the most wholesome thing I’ve seen in a while.
That’s all for this week, folks. If you’ve got a suggestion I didn’t include in this list, throw it in the comments. Happy reading and watching!
I love thissss <3