CREDIT: CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
Sort Of was ground-breaking for the network to produce a show that unapologetically had queer characters at the centre, dealing with inclusivity, the challenges of entering adulthood and relationships.

Finding something to celebrate in 2021 amidst the COVID car crash we’ve been living is a feat in itself but there is a bright side, as it was a remarkable year for on-screen queer representation. It seems there was a shift, not just in the amount of queer content but in the way queer stories were expressed and told. We’re getting closer to a day when queer films are simply referred to as… films.

Top queer on-screen programs of 2021

The Other Two: This show follows an aspiring gay actor and his sister trying to make it in their respective careers, while being stuck in the shadow of their very famous family members. Belly laughs await you!


Pose: An impactful, visually stimulating series that brought queer ballroom culture into our living rooms with a focus on the Black and Latinx storylines that are often overlooked.

Special: A semi-autobiographical Netflix series about a gay man with Cerebral Palsy trying to navigate life and relationships. A laugh-out-loud show with moments that are heartbreakingly honest and touching.

With Love: A joyful exploration of family love as seen through the lens of a Latinx family. It deals with family tradition and also the unrepressed love they focus on their gay son Jorge.

Honourable Mentions

I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a banner year for queer programming.

I will just leave these shows here to glitter: Feel Good, Love Victor, Sex Education, tick, tick…Boom!, Benedetta, The Power of the Dog.

My Top Two

Single All the Way: Netflix’s holiday Christmas story. That’s all. A simple, engaging Hallmark style rom-com that felt long overdue. These are the shows that actually really change culture. It was a step in the right direction for queer fans to feel at home.

Sort Of: My hands-down, number one show has to be CBC’s Sort Of. It was ground-breaking for the network to produce a show that unapologetically had queer characters at the centre, dealing with inclusivity and the challenges of entering adulthood and relationships. This hilarious coming of age story has queer and gender-neutral characters at its centre, tackling storylines that are relatable for everyone. It’s an intelligent, brilliantly funny show that powerfully deals with inclusivity by actually not dealing with it. A show that reminds us that we are all in transition, sort of.

Change is always hard, uncomfortable and even ugly at times, but then it’s just….not anymore. When it comes to queer representation, it seems we have arrived at a pivotal point where we can’t figure out how we got where we are, but it is a whole different place, a more colourful and important place. The entertainment industry has a long way to go when it comes to equality and representation but sometimes, I think that when we are squeezed, we tap into a magic land of creative expression. It’s exciting to think of what shows will emerge in 2022.