Pride 2026: A Q+ Celebration
June 28
Keep the Lights On
Keep the Lights On begins in 1998 when Erik (Thure Lindhardt), a Danish filmmaker living in New York City, meets Paul (Zachary Booth), a closeted lawyer, through a phone sex hotline. What starts as a chance encounter quickly grows into a passionate relationship, but one that is constantly tested by secrecy, addiction, jealousy, and the emotional baggage both men bring into it. Over the next eight years, the film follows them as they repeatedly find their way back to one another, even when it seems impossible to build a healthy future together.
Rather than telling a conventional romance, the film explores how love can endure even when two people aren’t able to give each other what they need. Paul’s escalating drug addiction, his inability to fully live openly, and Erik’s hope that each fresh start will finally be different create a relationship that’s as tender as it is heartbreaking. Their story unfolds through quiet, intimate moments that feel remarkably honest, never reducing either man to hero or villain.
Loosely inspired by director Ira Sachs’ own experiences, Keep the Lights On is one of the most emotionally authentic queer relationship dramas of the past two decades. It’s a film about love in all its complexity—the joy of finding someone who understands you, the pain of watching them self-destruct, and the difficult realization that loving someone isn’t always enough to save a relationship. It’s devastating, compassionate, and beautifully human.
Where to watch? Keep the Lights On is available to stream on MUBI, Hoopla, and Tubi TV. It’s also available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video, or Google Play.
It’s a Sin
Few television series have captured the joy, fear, and resilience of a generation quite like It’s a Sin. Created by Russell T Davies, the five-part drama follows a group of young queer friends who move to London in 1981, full of excitement about the future and eager to embrace the freedom the city promises. As the decade unfolds, however, their lives become intertwined with the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, forcing them to confront a crisis that will change their community forever.
What we love about It’s a Sin is how it refuses to define its characters solely by tragedy. Before the heartbreak comes laughter, friendship, first loves, terrible fashion choices, unforgettable parties, and the exhilarating feeling of finally finding people who understand you. That sense of joy makes the emotional moments hit even harder, reminding us exactly what was at stake during one of the darkest chapters in queer history.
It’s a Sin is heartbreaking, yes, but it’s also deeply life-affirming. It honors the people we lost while celebrating those who loved, cared for one another, and fought back against fear and prejudice. More than anything, it’s a powerful reminder that queer history isn’t just about loss—it’s also about community, resilience, and refusing to disappear.
Where to watch? It’s a Sin is available to stream on HBO Max and Prime Video depending on the region.
The Queens of Sarmiento Park by Camila Sosa Villada
After captivating readers with Bad Girls, Camila Sosa Villada returns to Córdoba with The Queens of Sarmiento Park, another deeply compassionate portrait of the trans women who have built lives, families, and communities on society’s margins. Centered around the women who gather in and around Sarmiento Park, the novel introduces a cast of unforgettable characters whose lives are shaped by poverty, violence, sex work, friendship, and an extraordinary determination not just to survive, but to live with dignity and joy.
What makes the novel so powerful is the way Sosa Villada refuses to define these women solely by the hardships they endure. They are funny, contradictory, protective, passionate, and endlessly resilient. Through moments of tenderness, humor, heartbreak, and even touches of the surreal, the novel celebrates the chosen families they create for one another while exposing the prejudice and violence that continue to threaten their lives. Every chapter deepens our understanding of a community that mainstream literature has too often ignored or misunderstood.
Like all of Sosa Villada’s work, The Queens of Sarmiento Park is both fiercely political and profoundly intimate. It’s a novel about resilience, identity, and the transformative power of finding people who see you for who you truly are. Filled with unforgettable voices and written with remarkable empathy, it’s a beautiful reminder that queer stories aren’t simply about survival—they’re about love, belonging, and carving out joy even in the most difficult circumstances.
Where to buy? The Queens of Sarmiento Park is available to purchase at all reputable booksellers.
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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