End of the Decade Queer Breakthroughs on Your Very Gay TV Screen

Arts

Nov 12

Featured

As the decade comes to a close -- the metaphoric dumpster fire that is the current American political sphere still smoking in the distance -- the only way we can get through the utter hell that 2017-2019 brought with it is to think of the small joys that we did get to experience. And do you know what really sparks some fucking joy for me? Television.

The 2010s were a doozy for all things culture: streaming sites really hit their stride and their productions began winning major awards, binging TV became even more exhilarating than binge drinking (so much so that “Netflix and chill” earned its coded meaning for casual sex) the hashtag took over from the pound key, and everyone dared to dab.

Even while we were in our respective internet spirals, swiping through our neighbors like we’d never love again, and crying into a vat of Arctic Zero because YOLO, there were some major moments in television that started highlighting more than the Kardashians’ cheekbones. From 2010-2019, major network TV shows, cable giants like HBO, and many streaming services started putting queer characters and queer issues at stage left if not front and center of the storylines.

Check your gaydar, grab your fidget spinner, because yas, we are about to twerk all the way through the decade’s most important queer breakthroughs on TV.

Trans is Beautiful: Shows that Highlighted the Trans Experience

Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

Premiere date: July 11th, 2013

While Orange is the New Black does focus on a number of queer characters, perhaps the most important representation that creator Jenji Kohan focused on in the show was that of Sophia Burset’s. Famously played by the openly trans Laverne Cox, Cox became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award following the first season of the show. Cox’s inclusion in a show watched by millions became a trailblazing moment for trans actors and activists moving forward.

Pose (FX)

Premiere date: June 3rd, 2018

God bless Ryan Murphy for his big, Queer brain and everything he’s given us as viewers. But even more so, god bless the cast of Pose for their authenticity and slayage. The show’s cast is almost exclusively comprised of trans actors playing trans characters, which we have been patiently waiting for because many trans characters in Hollywood have historically been played by cis actors. Pose’s plot line begins in the New York City ball scene during the AIDS crisis, and powerfully shows how vital it is for queer people to create their own families, made especially prevalent in the world of drag. This show also brought us the goddesses in MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, and Billy Porter.

The OA (Netflix)

Premiere date: December 16th, 2016

I for one am still mourning the loss of a perfect sci-fi/occult series, The OA. Written and created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the series’ two seasons dealt with near-death experiences, the multiverse theory, and the simplest of its themes: friendship. Beyond the philosophical, The OA introduced the first transgender Asian-American actor to television in Ian Alexander. Both Alexander and the character he plays, Buck, are transgender. Marling has said that her vision for Buck’s likeness was concretely trans and Asian-American; Alexander responded to an open call and won the role.

Tales of the City (Netflix)

Premiere date: June 7th, 2019

Tales of the City, which featured a multitude of queer identities in its fourth reboot, did some things right, and some arguably wrong in its latest revival. The show, and the series of novels it was adapted from, has always been about the queer experience in San Francisco -- specifically at the iconic house on Barbary Lane. The show’s matriarch, originally played by Olympia Dukakis, a cis actor, reprised her role as Anna Madrigal despite some pushback from viewers. The show did manage to save themselves more criticism by casting trans actors Jen Richards and Daniela Ysela (of A Fantastic Woman fame) and trans and nonbinary identifying actor Josiah Victoria Garcia. The series also focuses on Anna Madrigal’s early life in San Francisco as a trans woman and the 1966 Compton Cafeteria riots -- credited as one of the first LGBTQ acts of public activism.

Euphoria (HBO)

Premiere date: June 16th, 2019

A favorite of the Internet, Gen-Z, and make-up tutorialists everywhere, Euphoria faces touchy subjects head-on, with teens no less. One of the main storylines focuses on the budding romantic relationship between the main character, Rue, and her best friend and newest addiction, Jules. There is an important episode in the series which follows a younger pre-transition Jules through a stint at a mental health facility, assumingly for a sort of conversion therapy. Though Jules mainly lusts after sexually confused cis-het men in the first season, she also begins a relationship with Rue. Euphoria aims to reconcile with homophobia, coming out, and the fluidity of queerness as a whole.

Coming Out of the Closet: Reckoning with Public Identity

One Day at a Time

Premiere date: January 6th, 2017

One Day at a Time, although a show seemingly aimed towards a younger audience, has made headlines for its heartfelt ability to deal with the culture at large. Issues of racism, immigration, PTSD, and homophobia, in addition to topics directly affecting the Latinx community are at the forefront of this show. Elena, daughter of the main character, Penelope Alvarez, has a particularly touching coming out story that leads to her eventually beginning a relationship with a nonbinary partner, Syd.

Schitt’s Creek

Premiere date: January 13th, 2015

One of the best things to ever come out of Canada besides universal healthcare and photos of a young Justin Trudeau, Schitt’s Creek has landed itself a spot as a breakout comedy hit of the decade. Beyond its commercial and critical success, Schitt’s Creek has also given representation to a number of queer subjects, with main character, David Rose, being openly pansexual, and his eventual partner being closeted when they initially met.

Bi/Pan Identities

The Bisexual

Premiere date: October 10th, 2018

A fresh take on the misunderstood bisexual identity, Hulu’s The Bisexual follows an American woman living in London who ends her partnership with a woman after 10 years. The series’ first season focuses on the main character Leila, exploring her sexuality with men and women. Her dalliances are met with a fair amount of controversy, which opens up the conversation around the bisexual identity in an authentic and often hilarious way.

Game of Thrones

Premiere date: April 17th, 2011

With this monster of a series finally over, we can now reflect on its pros and cons from a safe distance. Game of Thrones had plenty of examples of problematic sexual encounters and assaults, which we could probably talk about endlessly, but it also gave viewers some truly badass queer characters during its run. Primarily bi characters, some standouts included Yara Greyjoy, Daenerys Targaryen, and Oberyn Martell.

The Deuce

Premiere date: August 25th, 2017

Another HBO show that’s seen its final episode is The Deuce. The show followed characters living in 1970s-1980s midtown during the height of prostitution, the AIDS epidemic, violent crime, and drug abuse in New York City. Though most of the series was quite dark, there was some light in the dark when it came to sexuality being more than just a commodity. A character with true heart, Paul, is seen through the closeted days of bathhouse debauchery, to the hopelessness of those closest to him dying all around him. Abby and Melissa both indulge in bisexual affairs with women as well, which aren’t regarded as particularly shocking to those around them. It’s New York after all.

In the Running

Sadly, with my word count dwindling, I can only give nods to a few other shows that smartly grappled with the queer identity in the 2010s: American Horror Story, Looking, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vida, 13 Reasons Why, Godless, Mindhunter, Atypical, and The Handmaid’s Tale.

If you have any beef with these choices, sound off in the comments -- where I will be sure to stay away from for my own mental stability.

—

Dakota is a poet, journalist, and right in the damn center of the Kinsey scale. Follow her on Twitter: @Likethestates.

Featured