The best LGBTQIA shows ever
Streaming was truly the greatest gift television ever got. With traditional cable, people have to pick shows they think will get views so they can get eyes on commercials, so a lot of times shows that can be more controversial get pushed to the side. Streaming, on the other hand, caters to its subscribers and what they want to watch . . . most of the time.
There’s a reason to this day that LGBTQIA stories are hard to find on cable TV, and it’s because we’re still in a time where content like that doesn’t sell in the eyes of the big wigs. So, we turn to streaming to find the stories we want to hear. Through this, we’ve gotten some of the strongest content in years that tells a great story while also focusing on LGBTQIA people.
Stories like these deserve to be celebrated. They give us the representation we want to see while also putting it in front of a mainstream audience. Plus, they don’t cheat out and still tell a good story in the process. So if you’re not watching these shows, you need to fix that.
Sense8
Like we weren’t going to start this article with this series. Sense8 has definitely been screwed over by Netflix, but in the two beautiful seasons and a movie we got, the stories being told were something of true magic. The Wachowskis brought us a complex, creative sci-fi world that still had the representation and humanity of our world in it. It’s going to be a long time before we get another sci-fi show like Sense8.
Pose
And the category is . . . shows that shouldn’t be as good as they are. Considering Ryan Murphy, legendary ruiner of good things (AHS after season 3, songs covered on Glee) is the man behind this show, you’d think it would be trash. But thanks to him handing the reins to the right people, and just using his name to get it off the ground, this is the best version of ballroom history we could’ve gotten. Plus, Billy Porter.
The L Word
We’re not going to act like this is the perfect portrayal of lesbians, but for its time, it was a huge step forward. Yes, Shane and Jenny is a trash relationship, just like all of season six, and Helena is annoying. But we’ll love Bette until the end of time, and we’re forever trying to figure out how to understand The Chart. We’re excited we get to see our girls again for Generation Q.
One Day at a Time
Not only is this show a big deal for having Elena be a lesbian, but it’s a huge deal that her partner is non-binary! For a show that already is tackling a lot of stereotypes about Latinos, it’s taking on the bigotry that sits within the Latino community. Elena standing up to her father who doesn’t accept her sexuality is such an emotional moment, and we’re glad this show gets to live another day.
The Fosters
Stef and Lena deal with a lot throughout the series. Callie’s a handful as she tries to find her place in the world, her half-brother Jude is dealing with his own sexuality, Jesus is struggling with his ADHD, and Marina doesn’t know where she belongs socially at school. Plus, they’re dealing with their own relationship quarrels through it all. Yet The Fosters is easily one of the most domestic versions of a same-sex couple in TV history through all this.
