Gay TV, Movies, and Books

[Ron]

2 hours ago, Topher Lydon said:

It may well be, but I prefer authentic voices and representation. I believe that we deserve better. (A moral conviction.)

I believe you'll be waiting a long long time for mainstream movies or television make anything other than comedy.

[W_L]

BL has its merits as a gateway to other things within LGBTQ media and literature, which exist after a search.

Why I enjoy The Summer Hiraku Died is partly due to the unique creative direction of Mokumokuren, who identifies as Queer, and you can see it in the story direction. Yoshiki and "Hikaru"/the entity were not meant to showcase BL themes, but rather how two people who are not quite 'normal' develop a bond. Who you are? What you want? are major questions in this story, which opens the provocative concepts native to LGBTQ people.

@Topher Lydon The mainstream is dominated by heterosexual interpretations of LGBTQ perspectives, there are stories that explore deeper themes. Don't give up

@Ron I would also add Horror to the potential list of genres LGBTQ creators play in beyond merely Comedy. The monster within, perception of alienation, and finding connection with a world unlike the individual are classic themes that tie into LGBTQ stories. 

[Topher Lydon]

2 hours ago, Ron said:

I believe you'll be waiting a long long time for mainstream movies or television make anything other than comedy.

Which is why I don't watch. I stick to things I appreciate and like and avoid the rest. Easier on my sanity that way.

 Nor am I criticizing anyone else for watching it, we like what we like. And we believe what we believe.

[Ron]

26 minutes ago, Topher Lydon said:

And we believe what we believe.

There is that thing called suspension of disbelief. 

But I hear you. You have a line and one which you're not willing to cross. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

6 hours ago, Topher Lydon said:

BB mountain was as dull as watching paint dry)

I avoid Heart stopper 
There are many, many, many authentic stories told by us, many gay/lesbian/queer actors and directors.... let us tell our stories. I don't know... just my thought on the issue.

I agree. Brokeback Mountain was a horrible boring movie.  
I don’t watch many gay themed movies, not for the reason you cited, though I understand the reasoning. 
I find many of gay shows and movies pandering to straight people, like gay lite. I’ve heard White Lotus and heated Rivalry used a different approach but I don’t watch 55 minutes  “straight” shows for eight minutes of the gay plotline.  And a show about hockey, no thank you. Sports balls are not my thing. 
I did watch the first few seasons of shameless for Mickey and Ian plotline but grew tired of wading through the rest of the story so I don’t know what happened.  I guess Ian grew up to be the joker. 
the one episode of heart stopper I watched was meh, though I thought the lead was kind of cute in a nerd star way. 
I can’t finish this comment because my cat jumped in my lap and is demanding cuddles.  

[Page Scrawler]

On 12/25/2025 at 1:54 PM, Jason Rimbaud said:

I don’t watch 55 minutes  “straight” shows for eight minutes of the gay plotline.

I'm not ashamed to say that I've watched entire series for one gay character or subplot. The Fosters, Andi Mack, The Conners, A Million Little Things... but they almost never go anywhere new and exciting.

It's been a while since I've invested in anything newer than Heartstopper, and I could use a good series right now.

 

[Krista]

Heated Rivalry is all about a gay storyline. The pacing is a bit jarring through the first three-ish episodes and it doesn't get better until the last two. It was written by a woman, or the book series the show is based on was anyway.  So I don't know if the representation is going to be what people will want. I do wish the pacing was better, I think a lot of the heavier scenes within the writing would have landed better if they had more of a foundation to be set up by. As I think that's where the show lacked a little bit. 

As far as Heartstoppers go, I didn't like it because of the representation. Since it fell heavily on common and new, but overly done tropes throughout. The skinny nerdy bullied gay has to develop an eating disorder. His boyfriend who is a golden retriever jock had to feel powerless because even his goodness and well meaning couldn't save the bullied kid from his own misery. He wasn't enough and he was entirely apologetic about it.

Teenagers know better and more about life than their parents who have lived on the planet longer than they have. To the point where they outright disregard sensible instruction and parenting, because they 'just don't feel like it.' 

I don't like shows that feature every character with spoken dialog within the queer spectrum either. It is fine if a core group of friends fall somewhere under that blanket. - Even then, established straight characters should stay that way. I don't care if it gives another character a better and happier ending. When something is established, let it be.

When you start getting into faculty, staff, neighbors, people they meet on the street that's where you lose me. Especially if the writing makes a point in telling you who they're dating, their marital issues, their romantic issues, etc. For characters we don't care about and never will. Why do I suddenly have to care who the gym teacher and the art teacher are dating and having relations with? I don't and never will. Spoiler - it was each other.  And they are more of a mess than the core group the show is supposed to be based on. Why do I have to care that another teacher's wife and her are having issues in their marriage? I met them all of two episodes ago for like five minutes. Enough. Focus on the story that's meant to be told, when that story finds its natural conclusion - end the damn thing. 

That is where Heartstoppers lost me. 

I'll never accept that the creator's background, gender, sexuality, race or whatever is a determinant factor in why something isn't representing or hitting right with people. It is the writing. People do it every day, some do it better than others. Fact of life. Just wait until we're all replaced by AI and we have zero representation anywhere.  

 

[Ron]

16 minutes ago, Krista said:

Heated Rivalry is all about a gay storyline. The pacing is a bit jarring through the first three-ish episodes and it doesn't get better until the last two. It was written by a woman, or the book series the show is based on was anyway.  So I don't know if the representation is going to be what people will want. I do wish the pacing was better, I think a lot of the heavier scenes within the writing would have landed better if they had more of a foundation to be set up by. As I think that's where the show lacked a little bit.

I didn’t see anything like what you did. I thought the show represented something close to the reality of what sports would portray in their circumstances — from my perspective. One minute you’re on top of the world and the next minute … ? Of course it’s jarring, I think it was meant to be seen that way, and from a man’s perspective it works. Foundation? Men don’t need an underlying foundation to begin anything, not truly. We make our own version up as we go along. We rationalize things to fit our narrative — our need. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it falls apart.

I’ve watched exactly one Bruins game in the arena in the twenty-something years I lived in Boston and the puck was there one moment and then somehow miraculously somewhere else before I saw it even move — so fast I couldn’t follow it in real time. The game is of course not entirely the real point of this show. It’s the skin (skin in the game, too, necessarily, I suppose). I’m perfectly alright with that and I’m fine with the men’s behavior as it’s being represented. Not everything needs to be fleshed out (no pun intended) to perfection. Too much of this and too much of that just gets in the way of entertainment in my opinion.

For me this show has been a success.

[Jason Rimbaud]

51 minutes ago, Krista said:

Heated Rivalry is all about a gay storyline.

Strike One: It's about sports balls. 

Strike Two: Neither of the leads are what trips my trigger

Strike Three: Every influencer is trying to get me to watch it. 

I understand that if we don't support gay media, they'll stop making it. But I supported Queer as Folk back in the day, and that gave us Will & Grace (the worst show about representing gay lives). I think it's telling that QAF is over twenty years old at this point, and has been the best show in all that intervening time. 

I might one day check out the hockey show, maybe, but I've seen the trailer and it doesn't interest me. I also didn't watch Boots (on Netflix) because I don't like the color green. And their uniforms aren't sexy, and their boxers/undies are so straight. Can't have a gay show that doesn't feature jockstraps. I do believe that's written down somewhere.  

That aside, you have made my day a bit sadder now that I have the definite knowledge of only two more chapters. I shall miss trolling you in the comments. 

I might pick one of your older stories just so I can get a taste of what I crave. . I might even try to get all the new readers you picked up for this story, and see if I can organize a site wide troll for that story and start it all over again. That one has 56 chapters, lots of opportunity there. 

Hope your christmas was amazing and you got what you wanted from a sexy santa. 

[Krista]

52 minutes ago, Ron said:

I didn’t see anything like what you did. I thought the show represented something close to the reality of what sports would portray in their circumstances — from my perspective. One minute you’re on top of the world and the next minute … ? Of course it’s jarring, I think it was meant to be seen that way, and from a man’s perspective it works. Foundation? Men don’t need an underlying foundation to begin anything, not truly. We make our own version up as we go along. We rationalize things to fit our narrative — our need. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it falls apart.

I’ve watched exactly one Bruins game in the arena in the twenty-something years I lived in Boston and the puck was there one moment and then somehow miraculously somewhere else before I saw it even move — so fast I couldn’t follow it in real time. The game is of course not entirely the real point of this show. It’s the skin (skin in the game, too, necessarily, I suppose). I’m perfectly alright with that and I’m fine with the men’s behavior as it’s being represented. Not everything needs to be fleshed out (no pun intended) to perfection. Too much of this and too much of that just gets in the way of entertainment in my opinion.

For me this show has been a success.

Jarring as in, you're watching them get drafted, then they're in the off season. Then they're fighting and not talking for a year, not answering texts and calls. The pacing is fast, we're already well into what, their fourth or so season? It doesn't 'feel' like much time has passed, but they've had so much time pass without much to say for it aside from MVP announcement, cup celebrations, and poking at one another for losing. The pacing is the most disliked aspect of the show. They were condensing too much into the five episodes as far as progression within the sports aspect of the show is concerned. 

And when you depict people as falling in love and having a strong foundation within an relationship, it doesn't land all that well when the pacing doesn't dictate it. You can't go from "fooling around..." to.. "fooling around with blurred feelings about it..." to.. "I love you and want to uproot and change my whole life to fit in yours..." when it was a year ago in the erratic pacing where they didn't speak. Not one word. People don't drop people and pick them up again at the same place.

That is how the pacing is erratic. And if you're going to uproot your entire existence for someone, male, female or otherwise there has to be a foundation under it. Otherwise it's just lust disguised as love. If we're meant to believe that these two people are in fact, in love... then a bit of a slower less erratic pace would have held that foundation for them a bit better. It began in the latter stages of the episode prior to finale.

I could care less about the hockey aspects, it is just a backdrop that allows proximity for the characters. Which is common in most writing. 

[Krista]

48 minutes ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

Strike One: It's about sports balls. 

Strike Two: Neither of the leads are what trips my trigger

Strike Three: Every influencer is trying to get me to watch it. 

I understand that if we don't support gay media, they'll stop making it. But I supported Queer as Folk back in the day, and that gave us Will & Grace (the worst show about representing gay lives). I think it's telling that QAF is over twenty years old at this point, and has been the best show in all that intervening time. 

I might one day check out the hockey show, maybe, but I've seen the trailer and it doesn't interest me. I also didn't watch Boots (on Netflix) because I don't like the color green. And their uniforms aren't sexy, and their boxers/undies are so straight. Can't have a gay show that doesn't feature jockstraps. I do believe that's written down somewhere.  

That aside, you have made my day a bit sadder now that I have the definite knowledge of only two more chapters. I shall miss trolling you in the comments. 

I might pick one of your older stories just so I can get a taste of what I crave. . I might even try to get all the new readers you picked up for this story, and see if I can organize a site wide troll for that story and start it all over again. That one has 56 chapters, lots of opportunity there. 

Hope your christmas was amazing and you got what you wanted from a sexy santa. 

Pucks are not balls. It barely shows them playing hockey. They gloss over and skip most of that stuff. 

They do have awful uniforms, but I guess it is for practical use and not eye appreciation.  

What you said about them not ticking anything off for you, there's the most glaring issue, because they show a lot of themselves on the show. Well the backside of themselves as far as what's NSFW. 

That's the thing I don't agree with though. I will not watch anything that I don't like, no matter what it is. People were telling us that we had to watch and appreciate "Boys!" for example. That film sucked. It was supposed to be this groundbreaking romantic comedy featuring an all gay cast, writer... and be completely for the 'gays.' More straight people went to watch that film, by the way.  I watched it. I hated it. I thought it boring, shallow, and stupid to be fair. 

Overcompensating is the same breath though. Hated it too. Both very gay and both trash. Will and Grace was all about a heterosexual audience.

Queer as Folk the UK version is better than the American one.   I said what I said. 

But yeah, it is all subjective anyway. We all like different things. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

2 hours ago, Krista said:

What you said about them not ticking anything off for you, there's the most glaring issue, because they show a lot of themselves on the show. Well the backside of themselves as far as what's NSFW. 

The lead actors aren’t hot. Too straight.  I know nothing about the actors but methinks they like girls in real life.  They are just so straight looking and acting. 

[Cane23]

5 hours ago, Krista said:

Why do I suddenly have to care who the gym teacher and the art teacher are dating and having relations with? I don't and never will. Spoiler - it was each other.

Wait - does this mean we won’t find out who Jep Braden is dating?! 

[Jeff Burton]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

The lead actors aren’t hot. Too straight.  I know nothing about the actors but methinks they like girls in real life.  They are just so straight looking and acting. 

They’re either too straight or too gay I prefer in the middle, dude that low key stares at your butt but doesn’t advertise it on no less than five bill boards on the interstate.

but I’m an odd one.

[Jason Rimbaud]

13 hours ago, Krista said:

Queer as Folk the UK version is better than the American one.

I don't believe I ever watched it. When QAF first came on, I watched the American one first. I didn't even know it was a british one first until maybe ten years later. By then, i would have been already tainted due to the American one. Though I found out that dude from Sons of Anarchy starred in it.  

[Jeff Burton]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

I don't believe I ever watched it. When QAF first came on, I watched the American one first. I didn't even know it was a british one first until maybe ten years later. By then, i would have been already tainted due to the American one. Though I found out that dude from Sons of Anarchy starred in it.  

I still haven’t watched QAF. I should probably do that at some point.

[Krista]

15 hours ago, Cane23 said:

Wait - does this mean we won’t find out who Jep Braden is dating?! 

A very cute, very blond, and very female barrel racing star also on the local rodeo/western show scene.  Sorry to break hearts... lol. 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Krista

[Krista]

12 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

The lead actors aren’t hot. Too straight.  I know nothing about the actors but methinks they like girls in real life.  They are just so straight looking and acting. 

They have cute butts though. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Burton said:

I still haven’t watched QAF. I should probably do that at some point.

My memory is that the first two seasons were really good, and then it kind of went off the rails. I don't believe I ever watched the final season, I just lost interest. But the first season, based on the UK version almost scene for scene, was really good. 

But I haven't seen it since it first aired back in the 90's I think. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

3 minutes ago, Krista said:

They have cute butts though. 

Are they hairy?   

[wildone]

On 12/25/2025 at 11:54 AM, Jason Rimbaud said:

I agree. Brokeback Mountain was a horrible boring movie.  

I think Brokeback Mountain was great! To me it was a ture love story, one that I think men have and still have to contend with, having one foot in the straight world and another in the gay world, where they would actually want to be. 

Also the fact that it was probably one of the biggest studio releases of its time to show a gay love story. Can you imagine Ang Lee trying to find a studio to fund it? 'Hey, I have the great book that was made into a screenplay and I want to put it on the big screen around the world' 'Oh, what is the premise?' Two gay cowboys in rural Wyoming in the 1960's to the 1980's that find each others and spend the rest of their lives chasing that dream of being together.' CLICK  

Add in the fact that my family doctor, an employee of mine at the time and friend, were all extras, I might be biased  

16 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

Strike One: It's about sports balls. . 

You and me need to have a discussion about what sports have balls and which have pucks, big difference  

The only balls in Heated Rivalry is the ones flopping around in the sex scenes (sadly, we don't get to see them, just bare asses and such. 

[ChromedOutCortex]

20 minutes ago, wildone said:

I think Brokeback Mountain was great! To me it was a ture love story, one that I think men have and still have to contend with, having one foot in the straight world and another in the gay world, where they would actually want to be. 

Also the fact that it was probably one of the biggest studio releases of its time to show a gay love story. Can you imagine Ang Lee trying to find a studio to fund it? 'Hey, I have the great book that was made into a screenplay and I want to put it on the big screen around the world' 'Oh, what is the premise?' Two gay cowboys in rural Wyoming in the 1960's to the 1980's that find each others and spend the rest of their lives chasing that dream of being together.' CLICK  

Add in the fact that my family doctor, an employee of mine at the time and friend, were all extras, I might be biased  

You and me need to have a discussion about what sports have balls and which have pucks, big difference  

The only balls in Heated Rivalry is the ones flopping around in the sex scenes (sadly, we don't get to see them, just bare asses and such. 

100%

I absolutely LOVED it. But then, I also like the slow burn type movies - the romance, playfulness of both characters. How they could be themselves out there, in the wilderness with nobody else around to judge them (except of course... when they are seen).

I haven't watched Heated Rivalry yet, but seeing all the positive (and negative) comments on Reddit, I think I'll have to at least give this one a shot.

[Jason Rimbaud]

3 minutes ago, wildone said:

I think Brokeback Mountain was great! To me it was a ture love story one that I think men have and still have to contend with, having one foot in the straight world and another in the gay world where they would want actually be. 

Add in the fact that my family doctor, an employee of mine at the time and friend, were all extras, I might be biased

I remember the cultural impact Brokeback Mountain (bareback mountain) had at the time. Two of America's hottest actors playing gay roles. I know the book was hugely impactful as well. And while I understand the need to normalize queer love stories into the mainstream, that doesn't excuse how boring that movie was.

Too much time was focused on them not being together and not enough time of them "falling" in love. So when jake says, I wish I knew how to quit you, I didn't believe either of them. The pacing was off, the music was horrendous, too many long shots of faces. None of these things made me believe they were in love. At best, they shared a secret. 

As pure entertainment, they got more wrong then they got right. The only thing I really believed, Jake was a bottom. 

21 minutes ago, wildone said:

You and me need to have a discussion about what sports have balls and which have pucks, big difference

This just made me laugh and made my day.  Because you are half right, I did forget hockey had a puck instead of a ball. 

Sports balls encompasses. all professional sports. Group mind think, keeping the masses entertained, insisting "We" just won when all you did was yell at a TV. I am making fun of all of it. Straight guys wearing the names of other straight guys on their backs. The idea of being a follower and broadcasting it to everyone makes me genuinely confused. 

Not knowing who is teaching your kid, but you know every single quarterback the Mapleleafs had since the beginning of basketball in Scotland is absurd. 

By the way, all of the above statement is mostly tongue and in a cheek. But I do not understand the following and practice of sports balls. To each his own. I'll continue to be the odd bald out. . 

[Jeff Burton]

3 minutes ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

I remember the cultural impact Brokeback Mountain (bareback mountain) had at the time. Two of America's hottest actors playing gay roles. I know the book was hugely impactful as well. And while I understand the need to normalize queer love stories into the mainstream, that doesn't excuse how boring that movie was.

Too much time was focused on them not being together and not enough time of them "falling" in love. So when jake says, I wish I knew how to quit you, I didn't believe either of them. The pacing was off, the music was horrendous, too many long shots of faces. None of these things made me believe they were in love. At best, they shared a secret. 

As pure entertainment, they got more wrong then they got right. The only thing I really believed, Jake was a bottom. 

This just made me laugh and made my day.  Because you are half right, I did forget hockey had a puck instead of a ball. 

Sports balls encompasses. all professional sports. Group mind think, keeping the masses entertained, insisting "We" just won when all you did was yell at a TV. I am making fun of all of it. Straight guys wearing the names of other straight guys on their backs. The idea of being a follower and broadcasting it to everyone makes me genuinely confused. 

Not knowing who is teaching your kid, but you know every single quarterback the Mapleleafs had since the beginning of basketball in Scotland is absurd. 

By the way, all of the above statement is mostly tongue and in a cheek. But I do not understand the following and practice of sports balls. To each his own. I'll continue to be the odd bald out. . 

Not really the odd ball out.

I mean I can understand why the sports balls thing is important to some people, it's usually either tradition or almost religious.  But to keep it simple, it just makes  a lot of people happy.  Gives them something to look forward to, and a sense of community just like tradition and religion can do, and it's not for everybody because we all have different things that make us happy.

I never played football in school myself despite it being "a thing" in the severest of senses where I'm from, but my PE coach at least tried because we both discovered by pure accident, I was actually really good at receiving long haul passes, and making downs but I never tried for the teams.  Do I regret it? Not really lol.

I don't watch football, certainly don't play it, don't follow it at all except  on Madden (I love playing Madden), yet my gay ass is writing a high school football story of all things.  Why? Because I'm not interested in it and want to challenge myself.  And I want to infiltrate my gay characters in as many "straight" activities as possible because representation matters even if it makes you cringe as a queer person when watching/reading it.

I have not seen the "gay hockey show" yet, but I'm going too eventually.  As for Brokeback, the movie is boring but at the same time it's important (or at least for me it was).  It was the first movie I went to with straight co workers as an out gay guy.

[Krista]

2 hours ago, wildone said:

I think Brokeback Mountain was great! To me it was a ture love story, one that I think men have and still have to contend with, having one foot in the straight world and another in the gay world, where they would actually want to be. 

Also the fact that it was probably one of the biggest studio releases of its time to show a gay love story. Can you imagine Ang Lee trying to find a studio to fund it? 'Hey, I have the great book that was made into a screenplay and I want to put it on the big screen around the world' 'Oh, what is the premise?' Two gay cowboys in rural Wyoming in the 1960's to the 1980's that find each others and spend the rest of their lives chasing that dream of being together.' CLICK  

Add in the fact that my family doctor, an employee of mine at the time and friend, were all extras, I might be biased  

You and me need to have a discussion about what sports have balls and which have pucks, big difference  

The only balls in Heated Rivalry is the ones flopping around in the sex scenes (sadly, we don't get to see them, just bare asses and such. 

I remember a lot of A-list actors outright turning down the role to play them. Jake and Heath were the only ones to say yes. It wasn't mainstream for mainstream actors to play roles such as these. They're worried about the fallout, backlash, and if they've played gay in the past like Matt Damon, they didn't want people thinking they're taking roles that either represents them or being type cast to only play such roles. So, for the times it was a barrier breaking film. But yeah, there was a lot of No's for the roles. Which is fine. 

It was a one and done watch for me. I liked it for what it was, I thought it was pretty and gritty. I thought the acting of Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, and Heath Ledger were great. Jake fell flat for me... to be honest.

A lot of films are one and done for me though, so that's not a knock against the film.