Pride 2026: A Q+ Celebration
Here at Q+, we don’t wait for June to start waving our flags. We celebrate queerness every day of the year—in the stories we cover, the creators we champion, and the community that continues to inspire us. But when Pride Month arrives? Well, that’s when we turn the volume all the way up. So welcome to our Pride 2026 celebration!
For the fourth year in a row, we’re spending the entire month of June doing one of our favorite traditions. If you joined us for Pride 2023, Pride 2024, or Pride 2025, you already know the drill: every single day of Pride Month, we’ll be highlighting one LGBTQ+ film, one LGBTQ+ TV show, and one LGBTQ+ book that we think deserve a spot on your watchlist, bookshelf, or comfort-media rotation. Some of these picks are brand new, some are hidden gems, and some are beloved classics we’ll happily recommend over and over again. But all of them tell queer stories that matter.
By the time June 30 rolls around, you’ll have 90 LGBTQ+ recommendations to explore. That’s 30 films, 30 TV shows, and 30 books celebrating our community in all its joy, heartbreak, resilience, messiness, romance, and brilliance. Whether you’re looking to laugh, cry, scream into a pillow, fall in love, or simply feel seen, we’ve got something for you.
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Now, as we were putting together this year’s list, though, we noticed something that deserves a conversation of its own. While we had no shortage of incredible books and films to choose from, finding 30 television series that hadn’t already appeared in previous years proved noticeably harder. Since launching this celebration in 2023, we’ve spotlighted dozens upon dozens of queer shows, and for the first time, we found ourselves confronting a simple reality: there still aren’t enough of them.
That’s not because LGBTQ+ television isn’t thriving creatively. Some of the most exciting and impactful stories on TV today are queer stories. The challenge is that there simply aren’t enough of them. Despite years of progress, queer series are still canceled too quickly, struggle to secure renewals, or never get the chance to exist in the first place. Representation matters not only because audiences deserve to see themselves reflected on screen, but because a healthy, sustainable ecosystem of queer storytelling requires continued investment, support, and opportunities to grow.
In a way, that realization makes this year’s celebration feel even more important. Every recommendation on this list is a reminder of why these stories deserve to exist—and why we need even more of them.
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A couple of quick notes before we get started: if your favorite title doesn’t appear on this year’s list, don’t panic. It may have already been featured in one of our previous Pride celebrations, it could be coming later this month, or we simply couldn’t squeeze everything we love into 30 days. Trust us, narrowing these lists down is never easy. We should also acknowledge one small technicality: this year’s lineup includes a title that longtime readers may recognize from a previous Pride celebration. We have a perfectly reasonable explanation, and all will be revealed in due time. Some of y’all may already know exactly which one we’re talking about.
But anygays, we’ll be updating this article every single day throughout Pride Month, so be sure to keep checking back for new recommendations. And if you haven’t already, make sure you’re following Q+ across our platforms so you never miss a single pick.
So grab your rainbow snacks, clear some space on your watchlist, and prepare to add far too many books to your TBR. Pride 2026 is officially underway, and we can’t wait to celebrate with all of you.
Happy Pride, fam. 🏳️🌈🫶
PSA: You can navigate through the days using the page buttons at the end of this piece—after the share buttons.
June 21
Game Changer by Rachel Reid
Scott Hunter is a professional hockey star who seems to have everything figured out—until a chance encounter with Kip Grady, a quiet smoothie shop worker, unexpectedly changes the rhythm of his life. What starts as a series of casual visits quickly turns into something more intimate when Scott begins inviting Kip into his private world, away from the public eye and the pressures of his career.
For Kip, the relationship is both thrilling and complicated. He is drawn into Scott’s orbit through private, secret encounters that are passionate and consuming, but also carefully controlled by Scott’s need for discretion. As their connection deepens, Kip finds himself wanting more than hidden moments, while Scott becomes increasingly aware of the cost that visibility would have on his career and public image.
Set against the backdrop of professional hockey and fame, Game Changer explores secrecy, desire, and the uneven boundaries of a relationship built in the shadows. As Scott’s playoff ambitions intensify, so does the tension between what he can afford to risk and what Kip is willing to wait for. It’s a romance about intimacy under pressure, and the difficulty of choosing between safety and honesty when hearts and careers are on the line.
Where to buy? Game Changer is available to purchase at all reputable booksellers.
Plainclothes
Set in 1990s upstate New York, Plainclothes follows Lucas (Tom Blyth), a young police officer assigned to an undercover sting operation targeting gay men in shopping malls. His job is to pose as someone cruising for sex in public spaces, lure men into restroom encounters, and signal for their arrest by other officers. What is treated internally as routine policing is, for Lucas, an increasingly destabilizing role—especially as he is quietly struggling with his own closeted sexuality.
The emotional tension deepens when Lucas meets Andrew (Russell Tovey), an older married man and pastor who becomes the target of one of these stings. Instead of following through with the arrest, Lucas lets him go, and later recontacts him under a false name. What follows is a secret, intense affair that blurs the boundaries between manipulation, desire, and emotional dependence. Lucas becomes increasingly attached, while Andrew insists on keeping their relationship hidden and temporary.
Andrew eventually cuts contact, but Lucas cannot let go. He uses police resources to track him down, leading to a confrontation at Andrew’s church that threatens to expose their relationship in front of his family and effectively ends it. As Lucas spirals further into isolation and guilt, his personal life and family relationships begin to fracture, culminating in a final confrontation where long-buried tensions erupt and he is forced to confront the truth about himself publicly for the first time.
Where to watch? Plainclothes can be streamed on MUBI. The film is also available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, and Fandango at Home.
I Love LA
I Love LA follows Maia (Rachel Sennott), a 20-something talent manager navigating the volatile world of Los Angeles social media culture. When her former best friend Tallulah (Odessa A’zion)—now a rising influencer—reenters her life and becomes her client, Maia finds herself pulled into a complicated mix of friendship, ambition, resentment, and professional opportunity. Around them is a circle of friends each trying to survive the city in their own way, including Charlie (Jordan Firstman), an insecure stylist chasing status, Alani (True Whitaker), a nepo baby trying to carve out her identity, and Dylan (Josh Hutcherson), Maia’s more grounded boyfriend.
On the surface, the series presents itself as an ensemble comedy about friendship and young adulthood in LA. But as it unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the city itself is the driving force of the story. LA is portrayed not just as a setting, but as a system that shapes relationships, rewards visibility, and consumes the people trying to succeed within it. Social media, branding, and online identity are inseparable from the characters’ personal lives, blurring the line between authenticity and performance.
What emerges is a sharp, self-aware portrait of ambition in the internet age. The series leans into the language of influencers, internet fame, and Gen Z culture, showing how quickly intimacy can become transactional when everything is documented and monetized. Beneath the satire, I Love LA is ultimately about people trying to maintain real connections in a place where being seen often matters more than being understood.
Where to watch? I Love LA is available to stream on HBO Max.
Happy Pride 2026! Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!
Featured Image: Images Courtesy of Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon MGM Studios, Focus Features, Getty Images, Disney+, Apple TV, Crave.
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