Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/A24/Netflix/AppleTV+/Mubi/Magnolia Pictures/MGM
What a year to be queer! Last year laid down the gauntlet for LGBTQ+ moments on screen, but 2023 managed to take things to the next level. A remarkable breadth of different queer experiences were on display this year: Monica gave us a dynamite trans lead in Trace Lysette; Scott Pilgrim Takes Off explored the complexities and beauty of bisexuality; we got our latest big-time gay rom-com in Red, White, and Royal Blue; and a lesbian Rachel Weisz tantalized us in Dead Ringers.
Every year, this list gets more difficult to put together—a collection of every great queer moment would take hours to read. But as time goes on, this feels like an increasingly necessary celebration, with bills coming in left and right to try and negatively impact the lives of queer people. They will continue to try and bring in legislation to take our rights away, but queer art isn’t going anywhere—it’s only getting fiercer. Below, find our picks for the best queer TV and movie moments of 2023.