LGBT Series: For many years it was difficult to come across a series in which any type of LGTB + content appeared. And, when this one started to take up some space on the screen, it was impossible to see anything more than a filler story or the typical secondary character who played typical gay friend with all the topics that have been and will be (see, Sex and the City). It is true that we are evolving, that each thing in its time, and that we are learning. Producers and distributors are increasingly betting on films and series that feature people with different sexual orientations or who self-identify as a different gender from the sex they were born with. And it was about time. Because cinema and television are not only a representation of reality, but also help us change it.
To talk about these series, as unfortunately I have not seen all of them, I have asked various friends who belong to this group for advice, since, as a woman cis straight I have not felt safe when establishing a ranking on these contents.
Of course, these series are for everyone, regardless of gender, sex, orientation, age... and they serve both to (finally!) be represented in some way on the screen and to be able to empathize with this struggle.
The 6 LGTB series that normalize the collective
✪ Queer As Folk
Back when my teenage self was tremendously hypnotized by Rebelde Way, my friend Jesús was already telling me about Queer As Folk. A mini me, fifteen years old and altered, madly in love with Pablo (a protagonist of RW, somewhat basic, if we start criticizing) I did not understand that my friend told me that the romances of this teenage series did not make him feel anything, they did not They weren't stirring at all and that I needed something else.
And that's what QAF gave you in the early 2000s.
A pioneer in its format, it tells the story of five gay friends and two lesbians who live in Pittsburgh (USA) who, like all of us around the age of 30, have our crises and problems that we must face, that Added to this are those of belonging to a group persecuted for centuries.
Although it had its criticism both inside and outside the gay community, for generalizing -in a certain way- some behaviors and promoting other stereotypes, what we owe to this series is a lot: give visibility to a group hitherto forgotten by television programming and to make those who were discovering that their orientation was not what society expected it to feel less lonely and weird.
✪ POSE
Now is a good time (with the controversial Trans Law in Spain about to be accepted) to talk about POSE. Trans people have been prejudiced and stereotyped on television to the point of saying enough. And POSE gets into the guts of transsexual and transgender people to show us a part of their reality.
Throughout its two seasons, this series shows us the life of groups of African Americans and Latinxs who form what are known as "families", and participate in night parties that were completely unknown to me. AP (before Pose) . In them, we see these families compete to see who gets the best position in a Show that mixes dance and modeling (for those who know more than me, they will have recognized the balls New Yorkers who were born in the 20s).
These choreographies inspired by the poses of the models are known as voguing or vogue and they represent an artistic form of claiming all the freedoms of these oppressed groups.
A documentary to understand more in depth these spaces of dance, politics and art is that of paris is burning, by Jennie Livingston, 1991.
✪ Poison
Continuing with the trans collective, let's not forget the Spanish series directed by The Javis based on the life of Cristina Ortiz, known as la Veneno, from her birth to her death; possibly the best known trans woman in Spain.
Eight chapters of this biopic that mix the life of Cristian with that of Valeria, another trans girl who, after meeting Veneno, decides to write her memoirs (the book on which the miniseries is based).
The cast is, in my opinion, a success (except for a few exceptions that squeak me, like the actress who represents the character of Valeria, but the one who saves the general count), and the impact that it generates in everyone who sees it speaks for her.
✪ The Pier
It's not a 10 series. I know. But it has several points in its favor: it poses a love story for three people, within which the comings and goings of the two protagonists kept me on edge throughout the series. Plus: it's only two seasons. I have to admit that, lately, as long as things are brief, I have plenty of twice as good. The Embarcadero tells what he has to tell, he does not expand too much in second plots and hooks you for two weeks of your life. And that's what we came for.
El Embarcadero has a well-known cast, led by Verónica Sánchez, once again in fashion thanks to Sky Red, Irene Arcos and Álvaro Morte (the teacher from the Casa de Papel).
✪ A Very English Scandal
BBC miniseries that you can see on Amazon Prime Video, and that I admit I have not seen (for now) but that I note in my must of this month. It mixes the love and heartbreak story of Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant) and Norma Scott (Ben Whishaw) [the former a liberal politician and the latter a young lower-class man] with drama, politics and scandal.
✪ It's a Sin
And the last of my recommendations: It´sa Sin. A faithful and exciting approach to the reality that was the problem of AIDS in the 80s among the youth of the United Kingdom. It makes you realize that it was truly a pandemic worse than covid.
Of course, these are not the only LGTB series that you can watch. Euphoria, The L World, Luimelia or Sex Education also fall into this category and have been critically acclaimed. Take a look at them!
Here we leave you 13 films to understand feminism.