8 LGBTQIA+ Romantic Movies to Stream This Summer
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This year, LGBTQIA+ romance has received a brighter spotlight than ever before, with popular shows like Heartstopper and Our Flag Means Death telling stories of queer love in new and exciting ways. If you want to celebrate LGBTQIA+ romance but (a) have already watched these or (b) are not in the mood for a four-plus-hour-long commitment, consider switching your favorite streaming service from the “TV Shows” to “Movies” category instead.
But we know that even the limited number of LGBTQIA+ romance movies available to stream can be overwhelming. To make things a bit easier, we’ve selected a handful of great films you can watch to celebrate queer on-screen love not just during but also beyond Pride Month in June. Some — like Hulu originals Fire Island and Crush — were released earlier this year, while others premiered decades ago.
Regardless of when they came out, they are all available to stream now, and they all tell LGBTQIA+ love stories in vastly different ways. From campy cult classics to coming-of-age comedies, scroll down for eight LGBTQIA+ romantic movies to stream from the comfort — and coolness — of your home this summer.
But I'm a Cheerleader
Satirical comedy But I’m a Cheerleader has garnered a cult following since its 1999 release — and for good reason. A campy, over-the-top critique of heteronormativity, highlights of this film include an opposites-attract romance between Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall and RuPaul’s performance as a “straight is great” shirt-wearing “ex-gay.” But I’m a Cheerleader is absurd, aesthetically pleasing, and absolutely hilarious.
Available on Peacock
Fire Island
Joel Kim Booster is the Elizabeth Bennet to Conrad Ricamora’s Mr. Darcy in Fire Island — a queer, modern spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This movie is the raunchy and hilarious proof that we need more LGBTQIA+ adaptations of classic novels. Released at the beginning of Pride Month, if you haven’t yet had a chance to watch this rom-com, clear your summer streaming schedule to do so.
Available on Hulu
Rafiki
The first Kenyan film screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, Rafiki tells a story of lesbian romance between daughters of political opponents. Kena and Ziki, played by Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva, fall in love against the wishes of their families, neighborhood and country. Heartwarming, fast-paced and vibrant, Rafiki is a must-watch.
Available on SHOWTIME Now
Alice Júnior
In this Brazilian coming-of-age flick, Anna Celestino Mota plays transgender teen and YouTuber Alice who, following a move from the city to the countryside, is the new kid in school. The stylish high schooler has the same wants as any teen: acceptance from her peers… and her first kiss. If you enjoy Heartstopper’s cutesy animations or Euphoria’s aesthetics, you will love this energetic film.
Available on Netflix
Crush
Released this spring, Crush is a Hulu original that stepped into a category Netflix tends to dominate: quirky, uplifting coming-of-age comedies. It follows high schooler Paige (Rowan Blanchard) as she falls for AJ (Auli’i Cravalho), the sister of her long-time crush. While Crush falls victim to several rom-com and coming-of-age tropes, it subverts a lot of the trauma-filled tropes that plague LGBTQIA+ films — there are no deaths or tear-filled coming out scenes — making it the perfect light, feel-good summer watch.
Available on Hulu
Saving Face
Saving Face focuses on successful surgeon Wil, played by Michelle Krusiec, and her relationships with both her new girlfriend and her mother. Wil struggles with being open about her sexuality with her mother and in general, and her mother struggles with the consequences of being unmarried and pregnant in her late forties. Saving Face is a must-stream rom-com-family drama hybrid.
Available on Hulu and Prime Video
Cloudburst
In a genre dominated by teenagers and coming-of-age stories, Cloudburst is a breath of fresh air. This dramedy follows Stella and Dotty — an old lesbian couple played by Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker — and a hitchhiker they pick up on a road trip from a nursing home to Canada to get married. Join the hilarious pair on their very Thelma & Louise (but gayer) adventure in Cloudburst.
Available on Prime Video
Summer of 85
Summer of 85 is exactly what its title leads you to believe: very summery and very ’80s. The “San Junipero”-esque French-Belgian movie follows a rescuer and rescuee to friends-to-lovers arc between two death-obsessed teenagers which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is also fraught with tragedy. If bright, colorful stunning visuals and nostalgia are your thing, Summer of 85 probably will be, too.
Available on SHOWTIME Anytime
