The Old Guard (2020)

While film and TV still have a long way to go when it comes to LGBT representation, there are so many more opportunities for LGBT people to see ourselves onscreen than there were even a few years ago. Best of all, some of the best LGBT films and shows are available for free or on popular streaming services that you might already be subscribed to. Here are some of my top picks for films and TV shows with positive LGBT representation, sorted by where you can find them. (Note: This list is accurate as of June 2021, but streaming libraries change frequently.)

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(This article contains minor spoilers for The Old Guard.)

As a lover of action, sci-fi, and comic books, I often feel that I have to leave my identity at the door when I go to the movies. Genre films, particularly action films, tend to operate under the increasingly false assumption that straight white men make up most of their audience. Every time one of these movies casually objectifies women or uses LGBT people as the butt of a joke, I feel the sting of alienation. Whatever their intention, it feels like these directors are pausing the movie to look at me and say, “This isn’t for you.”

The Old Guard, therefore, comes as a breath of fresh air in a genre that so often ignores underrepresented voices. The film, adapted from a comic book series by Greg Rucka, follows a team of mercenaries with the ability to recover from grievous injuries and even death. Notably, and somewhat shockingly, The Old Guard is the first major comic book adaptation directed by a Black woman. Gina Prince-Bythewood more than rises to this groundbreaking challenge, and her experiences lend a much-needed perspective to a largely patriarchal and white-dominated genre.

A glance at the film’s cast list shows a diverse group of actors from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Marwan Kenzari plays Joe, a Muslim Tunisian man in an adoring relationship with his male partner, Nicky. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers one of the film’s best performances as Copley, a morally complex widower who sees scientific promise in the immortals’ abilities.