Pride 2026: A Q+ Celebration
June 19
First Girl I Loved
First crushes have a way of feeling all-consuming, and First Girl I Loved captures that intensity beautifully. The film follows Anne (Dylan Gelula), a high school student who develops feelings for Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand), one of the most popular girls in school. What begins as excitement and possibility quickly becomes more complicated as Anne tries to navigate friendship, attraction, insecurity, and the fear of putting her heart on the line for the first time.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its willingness to embrace the awkwardness of young love. Anne’s feelings are messy, overwhelming, and sometimes painful in ways that will feel familiar to anyone who remembers what it was like to experience a first crush. The relationship at the center of the story is handled with tenderness, allowing the characters to feel authentic rather than idealized.
While First Girl I Loved doesn’t shy away from the difficulties that can accompany self-discovery, it’s ultimately a thoughtful and empathetic coming-of-age story. Anchored by strong performances and an emotional honesty that never feels forced, it’s a film that understands how significant first love can be, especially when you’re still learning who you are. For Pride Month, it’s a reminder that those early experiences often stay with us forever.
Where to watch? First Girl I Loved is available to stream on MUBI, depending on the region. It’s also available to buy or rent on Google Play and YouTube.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Sometimes the best way to move forward is to start completely over. That’s exactly what Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) does after being rescued from an underground bunker where she spent years trapped as part of a doomsday cult. Arriving in New York City with little understanding of the modern world but an endless supply of optimism, Kimmy throws herself into building the life she never got the chance to live.
Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt quickly became known for its rapid-fire jokes, absurd situations, and unforgettable supporting characters. Among them is Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), the aspiring performer whose dramatic personality, endless confidence, and surprisingly vulnerable moments helped make him one of the most beloved queer characters on television. Titus isn’t just comic relief—he’s a fully realized character whose dreams, disappointments, and relationships become some of the show’s emotional highlights.
Beneath all the comedy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a story about resilience. It’s about choosing joy in the face of hardship, refusing to let your past define you, and finding a family among the people who support you. Weird, heartfelt, and endlessly quotable, it’s the kind of comfort show that’s easy to revisit whenever you need a reminder that things can get better.
Where to watch? Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is available to stream on Netflix.
Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn
Six and Green are stars. They’re professional volleyball players, they’re trans women, they’re dating each other, and they’re competing in a men’s professional league because transphobia has left them with few other options. Six is focused on earning her place back in the starting lineup, while Green is carefully cultivating her online presence and thinking about what comes after her athletic career. Between rival teams, long-distance romance, and thousands of fans following their every move, their lives are already complicated before the season’s biggest tournament even begins.
As they prepare to reunite at a championship event held in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, an outside crisis forces them into an uncomfortable spotlight. Suddenly, questions about visibility, activism, and responsibility become impossible to avoid. While social media amplifies their fame, it also exposes them to relentless scrutiny from supporters, critics, and strangers who feel entitled to judge every decision they make. Through it all, Six and Green are left trying to balance their public roles with their private lives, their ambitions, and their relationship with each other.
Sharp, funny, and surprisingly emotional, Hot Girls with Balls is about much more than sports. Benedict Nguyễn uses the world of professional volleyball to explore trans identity, online culture, grief, fame, and the impossible expectations often placed on marginalized people in the public eye. At its heart, it’s a love story between two women trying to build a future together while carrying the weight of being seen as symbols by everyone around them. It’s ambitious, timely, and unlike anything else we’ve read this year.
Where to buy? Hot Girls with Balls 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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