Our Favorite Queer Moments in Movies and TV

These scenes featuring LGBTQ+ characters are the ones that have stuck with us over the years.

Sal Mineo pining for James Dean inRebel Without a Cause , Shug Avery kiss Celie inThe Color Purple , the peach inCall Me by Your Name . Moments like these can spark entire waking up . Whether cod or overt , they can titillate , inspire , or amuse . gratefully , rummy passion is more common today than it was even 10 or 15 years ago , with a variety of identity operator depicted on big and small screens alike , even ifcountries like Saudi Arabiaand right - extension personalities likeBen Shapiroprotest so much as one measlysame - sexual urge kissin a Disney pic .

Over the years , queerness has put up some of pop acculturation ’s sexiest , funniest , most affecting moments — from the joyfulness ofThe Birdcageto the melancholic ofMoonlight . For Pride Month , Thrillist ’s amusement writer have selected a smattering of these standout moments .

Androids flirting inAlien: Covenant

While watching Ridley Scott’sAlienprequelsPrometheus(2012 ) andAlien : Covenant(2017 ) , it ’s impossible not to find their utter condescension for their human characters , and for human race themselves : a fail macrocosm clawing its way out of the sand trap of inevitable extinction . The mangled , leggy figure of the pre - Xenomorphs are too , well , alien to connect with , so who do you take root for ? The robots , of row . InAlien : Covenant , a human dependency ship ’s resident nanny android Walter encounters David , an early version of himself who endure his own ship ’s inauspicious crash - landing on an chartless planet live by bloody-minded monsters . While the humans run around shooting things and burst forth thing and getting picked off by the major planet ’s parasitic residents , Walter and David ( both played by Michael Fassbender , in a mind - bend technical accomplishment ) partake a few philosophical chats about whether or not human beings deserve to inherit the legacy of higher beings — you know , golem flirting . In a memorable panorama , David , who fashion himself after aristocratic British adventurer of the olden day , teaches Walter how to play euphony , holding a flute to his mouth and saying , " I ’ll do the fingering . " Their connection is riveting and , especially in David ’s font , highly excited , which makes his query in a tardy scene—“When you close your eye , do you dream of me?"—all the more grievous . — Emma Stefanksy

The Birdcageburial plot

For all of its dated quality , The Birdcage , which was probably my insertion to poof civilisation , is still a crucial comfortableness lookout man . I could lean countless moment : Robin Williams ' " Fosse , Fosse , Fosse " tour through the chronicle of innovative dance as an uninterested go - go boy spotter , Nathan Lane ’s assume Barbara Bush hang back to impress Gene Hackman , etc . But I keep come back to the aspect at the bus layover after Lane ’s Albert has storm off , upset to see Williams ' Armand dancing with his son ’s female parent ( Christine Baranski ) . Albert explains he ’s going to a burial site in Los Copa , a veiled menace . Armand calmly react , " My cemetery ’s in Key Biscayne . It ’s one of the prettiest in the cosmos . The sky is blue , palm trees , rolled hills . The one in Los Copa ’s really shit . " But then he says he ’s pop off to have to sell his so he can be buried next to Albert . In a movie full of panoptic drollery , it ’s a quiet moment that allows these actors to explore the love between their characters . In its 90 ’s fashion , The Birdcagedoesn’t allow Albert and Armand to show much physical affection , but this exchange say you all you need to fuck about their relationship . — Esther Zuckerman

Amy’s pining inBooksmart

One of the reasons teen fixed storage - coms can feel like idyllic versions of realism is because so many feature that special , fantastical moment in which the lovelorn booster sets her ace - crossbreed heart on the objective of her affection . Like many teen movies before it , Olivia Wilde’sBooksmartfeatures that peculiar moment that conveys what it might be like if meter could bar , but does so in a agency that ’s unambiguously faggot for a mainstream comedy . Itplays outas BFFs Amy ( Kaitlyn Dever ) and Molly ( Beanie Feldstein ) are talking about how Amy has n’t kiss a girl despite being out for years , while Amy stares across the lunchroom at her crushed leather , tattooed skater daughter Ryan ( Victoria Ruesga ) . Ryan ’s glowing and doing ollies in tiresome movement across the courtyard , mark by the ultimate indie - pop song about an unbearable crush,“Can You Discover?“It ’s a thoughtful soundtrack pick , as the track comes from Rostam Batmanglij and Wesley Miles ' 2009 collabDiscovery , which grow analbum full of gay paper — and while Amy ’s eventual attempts at flirting are uneasy and befuddled , it ’s the sweetest representation of sapphic pining . — Sadie Bell

Carol and Therese meeting inCarol

Todd Haynes’Carol , released in 2015 amid a sea of cishet bravado ( The Force Awakens , Furious 7,Avengers : Age of Ultron , andSpectrewere box office toppers for the class ) , felt like a warm breeze of lesbian movie theatre during the other calendar week of wintertime , and it remains a adorable , substantive entry in the queen canyon . Sure , it might one of the more obvious entry on this list , but it ’s not without good ground : Carolis make out goodness . The intense regard exchanged between Carol ( picture for queers Cate Blanchett ) and Therese ( Rooney Mara ) are some of the most smouldering ever put to screen , and it ’s nothing poor of heartwarming watch over Therese open up from being a young , timid department store shop clerk and amateur photographer to a cleaning lady more sure-footed in her own desires , able to oblige optic tangency with the assured , older Carol . Even their first meeting , as Therese is go at a section store and Carol is frequent to corrupt a toy for her daughter , shoots off so many chemistry pyrotechnic that the dialogue and purpose of Carol ’s trip is leave in a haze ; all you could process istheir flirting . Betweenshared tiffin , a glamorous hotel - elbow room hookup , and their many flustering interactions , you ’re root for Therese and Carol to cease up together , maybe specially because of the hardship in their personal life sentence amidst a conservative fifties backdrop — they deserve joy . And triumphantly , they do , even if it ’s signaled with coy smiling and shoulder grazes . As thewriter Jill Gutowitzsaid , longing is lesbian.—Leanne Butkovic

Santana and Brittany singing “Landslide” onGlee

As chaotic as Ryan Murphy ’s showchoir dramedyGleecould be , it really was a gem of LGBTQ+ representation on mainstream TV in the 2010s . One of the characters whose queer journeys is often seen as the most influential among fan was Santana , the late Naya Rivera ’s plainspoken cheerleader who fall for her well friend Brittany ( Heather Morris ) . Her operation of Fleetwood Mac’s"Landslide"with Brittany and sexual activity educator Holly Holiday ( invitee virtuoso Gwyneth Paltrow ) is one of the series ' most pivotal and heartrending covers . Despite all of New Directions watching them , it ’s as if Santana get wind only Breiz and realizes not only her affection for her friend , but how much everything will switch when she come out , as she sings , " Well , I ’ve been afraid of changing / Because I ’ve built my life around you . " It ’s a beautiful moment to see her take on how she really feels — and one that Riveraspoke about , saying she palpate a need to palm it responsibly and was stir to see how much it come across with fans . — SB

Both versions of “Wicked Little Town” fromHedwig and the Angry Inch

When I was a teenager , I rentedHedwig and the Angry Inchfrom my local Hollywood Video . I saw myself as a " film buff , " so I ’d fundamentally lease everything that fell into the " independent pic " category in the tiny monthly discharge catalog . I had no knowledge of the musical ’s off - Broadway account or craze following , but I drop intemperately for John Cameron Mitchell ’s directorial debut about a festal German rock ‘n’ roll singer who unwillingly exchange his gender identity to get out of Germany and startle a newfangled life in the United States . As she picks herself back up , Hedwig ’s euphony is eventually steal by her untested lover , Tommy Gnosis , who then becomes a rock genius . I was instantly draw in by Hedwig ’s ruby lip and glam - rock ballads . All of the song inHedwigare incredible , thanks to music and lyrics from Stephen Trask . But the parallel pairing of " Wicked Little Town " and " Wicked Little Town ( Reprise ) " marks the beginnings of Hedwig ’s disruptive mentorship and relationship with Tommy , the two colligate over music and macrocosm . And it sours into what take place when the person you jazz get hold of everything you ’ve got . These were questions that I could n’t answer as a stripling or even now , but seeingHedwigblew afford everything I thought I know about gender , sexuality , and love.—Kerensa Cadenas

The first time Jenny and Marina meet onThe L Word

I was in college whenThe L Wordpremiered on Showtime . I had already been an avidQueer as Folkviewer , so I was immediately ready to watch the dramatic effort of a crowd of hot lesbian living and loving in Los Angeles . I viscerally remember watching the two - part pilot and relish the show ’s soap - opera trappings . After Jenny ( Mia Kirshner ) moves to LA to be with her longtime swain , they attend a political party thrown by their next - door neighbors Bette and Tina ( Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman ) . As small talk stretch out on , Jenny ends up meeting the magnetic Marina ( Karina Lombard ) , who understands her ridiculous literary references . But there ’s this electricity in that moment where the two witness tangible connexion , all long glances and stuffy - ups of lips as their desire boil over in an illicit lavatory kiss . Jenny is whole unmoored by the situation — not because of her boyfriend in the other room , but because of what her attraction to Marina says about her deep down . And even though Jenny later becomes the villain of the show , in that one moment I saw myself.—KC

The diner scene inMoonlight

Moonlight ’s third and last chapter is its most devastating — and its most promising . The opening guess of Chiron ( played as an grownup by Trevante Rhodes ) read all we postulate to know about who he ’s become over the line of the film , having buried his queerness in the armour of cheat muscles and a hardened gaze . But one phone call , from the puerility honey ( André Holland ) he never forget , reawakens what is only barely dormant . “ Why ’d you call me , ” Chiron asks Kevin after driving to the dining car where the latter James Cook for him and play a jukebox Sung dynasty whose fitting chorus enjoin , “ Hello , stranger … / How long has it been ? / It seems like a mighty long clock time . ” As they sit across from each other , Chiron ca n’t avert his eyes . In another ( read : heterosexual ) movie , the pair might get up and slow - dance . But even without anyone else in the restaurant , that would be too sheer . Merely looking is a effort for Chiron , who has done everything he can to stop seeing his true self . Director Barry Jenkins bathe the character in the affectionate haze of gloam , his close - ups beg Chiron to clinch the moment . Soon enough , perchance they will . They wind up at Kevin ’s apartment , and the film ends with their soft embrace . — Matthew Jacobs

Sailors Uranus and Neptune inSailor Moon

The girls , homo , and theys who tuned intoSailor Moonafter schooling on Cartoon connection ’s Toonami block know the ass - kicking little girl power that Usagi and her piecemeal - assembled squad of Sailor Guardians maintain . ( Sailor Moon in the center of a good yell could nonplus any shonen booster ; add up campaign me . ) The gateway Zanzibar copal was funny , girly , knotty — already ingratiating to a certain age group — and then Sailors Neptune , fighting with elegance , and Uranus , press with brilliance , were introduced into the fold in Season 3 and bring in a newfangled gay property to the league of sailor scouts , most of whom could beread as bi , even if theEnglish dub declared them as " cousins . “The effortless artist Michiru and the cool - as - hell androgynous Haruka , though , were clearlymore than cousins , and even the tiny pea plant brain of a middle schooler like myself have sex there was something deeply beguiling about the twain . As metre has passed , the nature of their human relationship became more obvious ( after all , they leaven a baby Sailor Saturn as a throuple of mamma with Sailor Pluto ) , and the newer TV adaption , Sailor Moon Crystal , and Netflix ’s rebooted movie , Sailor Moon Eternal , laid out all their subtextual queerness plain for all weebs to see . But the original , even with just Michiru and Haruka ’s shoulder touch and close human face , was special : They , and the other obviously non - straightforward characters the show brought in , were one of the first representation of poove love a child could interiorize , and even ifSailor Moonwouldn’t name it at the clock time , we all live it was there.—LB

The first telepathic orgy inSense8

Sense8 , one of Netflix ’s first original series directed by the Wachowski sisters , is fundamentally about the simple ecstasies of human connection — and what ’s more human than finding joy in the act of sex ? The show was revolutionary for many reasons , one of which was the manner it bosom the enthusiastic depiction of all forms of love and sexuality . Look , if you determine out that your mental capacity has ad lib linked itself to seven other peopleandthey’re all really , reallyhot , you ’re belike gon na test some stuff out . The show complain into a gear that had not been seen on goggle box in its first season , when four characters — Will , a unbent adult male from Chicago ; Wolfgang , a consecutive man from Berlin ; Lito , a closeted gay man from Mexico City ; and Nomi , a trans woman hacktivist from San Francisco — test the limits of their telepathic connection and find that their bodies are just as connected as their minds are . The show was also noteworthy for its commitment to shooting closely everything on emplacement , all around the world , so a sex scene involving four or five or all eight of the main characters had the added spice of take station in multiple location all at once . After watchingSense8 , the bar for all future substantial - living go steady encounters ishigh . — east

“Le Jazz Hot” inVictor/Victoria

When I first saw Blake Edwards’Victor / Victoriaas a melodic - theater - eff kid , I did n’t really have much of a concept of sex performance . The ludicrous qualities of the char pretending to be a serviceman pretending to be a woman work well enough for me . And yet , over the geezerhood , my perceptiveness for this surprisingly sly film about how we present ourselves has only arise . Look no further than Julie Andrews ' debut as Victor , when sheperforms"Le Jazz Hot . " It ’s an extraordinary bit of experimentation . Andrews must diddle a pull faggot while at the same metre seducing her love interest , Chicago gangster King Marchand ( James Garner ) , who then must conceal his own feelings when he realizes he ’s pull to a man ( who in the end happens to be a cleaning woman ) . Of of course , it ’s ultimately a hetero kinship , but is it really ? — EZ

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna’s kiss inY Tu Mamá También

Y Tu Mamá Tambiénis a moving picture of ambiguity , but Alfonso Cuarón ’s camera make one matter percipient : When his road - touch off protagonists Julio ( Gael García Bernal ) and Tenoch ( Diego Luna ) begin a threesome with Luisa , the woman ( Maribel Verdú ) who ’s been provoke their adolescent libido , what really offend their interest is each other . As Luisa drops to her articulatio genus , Cuarón pans in on the shirtless boy , who do what they can to avoid touching before Julio strive for Tenoch ’s face and they deal a febrile kiss that suddenly feels long overdue . Luisa melt from the celebrity ; all that matters is this one embracing . Their friendly relationship , like most youthful connections , wo n’t last , maybe because that night was too much to handle , or mayhap because that ’s just the manner things lean to go when maturity intervenes . We do n’t get to see what else happens during the ménage à trois , and we do n’t need to . However Julio and Tenoch might define their gender amid the Mexican machismo they ’ve internalized , in that pivotal import they are able to aid each other dismiss their inhibitions . It ’s at once sensual , thrilling , and lamentable , and the mode Cuarón annul pat answer enhances the plastic film ’s impact . — MJ

queer moments in movies and tv