June 1st marks the official start of PRIDE month which is usually marked with huge parade celebrations hosted by the LGBTQ+ community. However, these parades aren’t the only way to celebrate Pride. For those who prefer a quiet night in, one of the easiest ways is to curl up on the couch with a significant other or family to watch movies.
While Hollywood has long since pushed heterosexual narratives, especially in the teen movie space, that has slowly started to change. The 2010s marked the release of Love, Simon, the first LGBTQ+ teen movie to be produced by a major film studio (per The LA Times). Since then, streaming platforms have delivered plenty of upbeat LGBTQ+ stories to their subscribers. Young adults and adults who are young at heart can feel like lovesick teens and enjoy heartwarming stories with positive LGBTQ+ representation.
Let It Snow (2019) – 5.8
Netflix’s 2019 teen holiday movie Let It Snow is based on a co-authored young-adult novel that included work by bestselling author John Green. Like the novel, the movie follows several teen characters as they deal with a random snowstorm on Christmas Eve. One of the stories follows Dorrie (Liv Hewson) whose crush, Kerry (Anna Akana) happens to be at her diner.
Not only is Let It Snow an adorable Christmas movie but it truly explores the complicated feelings around coming out as a teenager. While Kerry does like Dorrie, she struggles with her feelings because she doesn’t know how her friends will react to her sexuality. This is a relatable experience for many LGBTQ+ teens which is what makes it such a great movie.
G.B.F. (2013) – 5.8
Brent (Paul Iacono) wants nothing more than to join one of the most popular girl cliques at school. The only problem is they don’t accept boys. After learning that having a “gay best friend” is all the rage among teen girls, Brent decides to out himself at Prom to get into the clique.
However, problems arise when Brent’s best friend Tanner (Michael J. Willett) is outed and becomes one of the cliques “GBFs.” While the movie has problematic areas, like the fact that a character is publically outed, G.B.F. is a quirky teen story with two gay boys at its center.
The Prom (2020) – 5.9
Ryan Murphy has created some amazing shows and movies over the years, including Netflix’s musical movie The Prom. The movie begins when a small-town high school’s prom is canceled by the PTA because a lesbian couple wanted to attend. The story makes headlines and grabs the attention of Broadway elites who travel to the high school to throw the student body their own inclusive prom.
While The Prom might not have gotten the best reviews when it was released in 2020, it is a fun movie to watch with friends or a significant other. It also explores very real discrimination LGBTQ+ teenagers may face from high school which is supposed to help them grow but instead hinders them. While. not everyone has a Broadway team of fairy godmothers, it’s important to remember that no one can stop someone from loving who they love.
Crush (2022) – 6.1
While Hulu has housed several LGBTQ+ teen movies, it wasn’t until 2022 that the streaming service released its own. Crush tells the story of Paige (Rowan Blanchard), a teenage student who is forced to join the track team to stay out of trouble and to get close to her crush (Isabelle Ferreira). However, as she begins training she finds herself falling for another teammate (Auli’i Cravalho), who just so happens to be her crush’s twin sister.
Crush is one of the most authentic takes on being a lesbian teenager at a school that doesn’t really care. The story is full of laughter and angst making it one of the best coming-of-age teen movies of all time. At its core, it’s about three young LGBTQ+ teen girls figuring out their identities and falling in love.
Alex Strangelove (2018) – 6.3
Alex Strangelove first premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival before making its debut on Netflix in June 2018. The LGBTQ+ teen rom-com centers on Alex (Daniel Doheny), a teenager who begins to question his sexuality after meeting Elliot (Antonio Marziale) at a party.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Alex is currently in a relationship with his best friend Claire (Madeline Weinstein). Alex Strangelove is a movie that truly explores the exploration period of a young teenager’s sexuality but does so in an uplifting way. Even though fans weren’t thrilled that Alex sort of cheats on Claire, it’s a relatable experience for many LGBTQ+ teens who are still figuring out their sexualities.
The Half Of It (2020) – 6.9
Written and directed by the talented Alice Wu, it’s no surprise that Netflix’s The Half Of It takes on a more angsty approach to a teen LGBTQ+ story instead of the rom-com ones that were being released at the time.
The movie centers on Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), an introverted teenager who gets roped into helping her school’s football player land his dream girlfriend. The only problem is that Ellie also has a secret crush on the same girl. As Ellie and Paul’s (Daniel Diemer) friendship flourishes, so do Ellie’s feelings for Aster (Alexxis Lemire). The movie provides a much-needed update to the love-triangle troupe movie audiences have loved for decades.
Booksmart (2019) – 7.1
On the eve of their high school graduation, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) discover they’ve wasted their high school years being studious instead of having fun. Determined to make up for a lost time, the girls set out to do all the fun things they missed out on which includes attending several wild graduation parties.
In addition to their wild antics, the movie allows explores Amy’s sexuality as she begins to accept her own attraction to girls. Booksmart is hilarious, emotional, and one of the best teen movies of the 2010s. Amy’s sexuality might not be a major plot point but that’s okay since one’s sexuality doesn’t have to define everything they do.
Get Real (1998) – 7.5
Get Real is a British romantic comedy that was adapted from a 1992 play. The movie centers on Steven (Ben Silverstone), a closeted gay teenager who has a massive crush on his school’s star athlete John (Brad Gorton). When Steven and John’s paths cross, Steven begins to wonder if John is as straight as he’s led everyone to believe.
Eventually, the two starts dating in secret which provides the boys with both happiness and anxiety since they fear being caught. Get Real has since become a cult classic in the LGBTQ+ community. Get Real provides a very authentic look at the LGBTQ+ community in the 90s.
Love, Simon (2018) – 7.5
When Love, Simon was released in 2018 it was the first LGBTQ+ teen movie produced by a major studio. It has since paved the way for more LGBTQ+ teen stories to be told on the big and small screens. The movie was adapted from the young adult novel of a similar name and centers on Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a young teenager who is coming to terms with his own sexuality.
When Simon begins corresponding with another gay student anonymously, he begins to fall in love. While it’s true Love, Simon is more of a “coming out” story than a “relationship story” it’s still massively important, especially for teen audiences who will relate to Simon’s story.
The Way He Looks (2014) – 7.9
Some of the best LGBTQ+ movies of all time are international movies and that notion expands to the LGBTQ+ teen genre too. The Way He Looks is a Brazillian coming-0f-age movie that was adapted from a short film.
The movie follows Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo), a blind teenager who yearns for independence and for his first relationship. When a new student transfers to their school, Leonardo begins to crush on him. The two get partnered up on a school project and their relationship begins to flourish. Despite being in Portuguese, much of the story’s themes are universal and will be understood by audiences of every language.
