Pride 2026: A Q+ Celebration
June 25
Pariah
Few coming-of-age films feel as honest and emotionally precise as Pariah. Written and directed by Dee Rees, the film follows Alike (Adepero Oduye), a seventeen-year-old Black teenager in Brooklyn who is beginning to embrace her identity as a lesbian while trying to navigate the expectations of her family, friends, and community. Confident in some parts of her life and uncertain in others, Alike finds herself caught between the person the world expects her to be and the person she knows herself to be.
As she explores her sexuality and forms new connections, tensions at home begin to intensify. Her parents have very different ideas about who their daughter is and who she should become, creating an environment where honesty often feels risky. The film never relies on melodrama, instead finding its power in small moments, difficult conversations, and the emotional weight of living authentically when acceptance is far from guaranteed.
More than a decade after its release, Pariah remains one of the most important queer films of the twenty-first century. It’s a beautiful, compassionate portrait of self-discovery that refuses to simplify its characters or their struggles. Alike’s journey is deeply personal, but the film’s themes of identity, family, and finding your voice continue to resonate with audiences today.
Where to watch? Pariah is available to stream on Netflix in some regions. It’s also available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
One Mississippi
Created by and starring Tig Notaro, One Mississippi follows a fictionalized version of Notaro as she returns to her hometown in Mississippi after the death of her mother. Still recovering from a series of life-altering events, including serious health challenges and profound grief, Tig is forced to confront old relationships, unresolved family dynamics, and the complicated feelings that come with returning home after years away.
What begins as a story about loss gradually becomes something much richer. Through awkward encounters, unexpected revelations, and moments of surprising humor, the series explores family, identity, trauma, and healing. Tig’s sexuality is an important part of who she is, but the show never reduces her to a single aspect of her identity, allowing her experiences to exist within a broader and deeply human story.
One of the things that makes One Mississippi so special is its balance of comedy and heartbreak. It’s often very funny, sometimes devastating, and always grounded in emotional truth. The series approaches difficult subjects with remarkable honesty, creating a thoughtful and deeply affecting portrait of a woman learning how to move forward while carrying the weight of her past.
Where to watch? One Mississippi is available to stream on Prime Video.
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Set in working-class Glasgow, Young Mungo follows Mungo Hamilton, a teenager growing up in a world shaped by poverty, violence, and rigid expectations of masculinity. Living with an absent father, a mother struggling with alcoholism, and older siblings who each have their own ideas about what kind of man he should become, Mungo often feels trapped by circumstances beyond his control. Amid the chaos of his daily life, he finds solace in an unexpected friendship with James, a boy from a nearby Catholic family.
As their bond deepens into something more, the two boys must navigate a community where sectarian divisions and traditional ideas about masculinity leave little room for vulnerability or queer love. Their relationship becomes both a source of hope and a source of danger, forcing them to make difficult choices about trust, survival, and the futures they imagine for themselves. Throughout the novel, Stuart explores how tenderness can endure even in environments that seem determined to crush it.
Heartbreaking, beautiful, and profoundly moving, Young Mungo is a story about first love, resilience, and the search for belonging. Douglas Stuart combines intimate character work with a vivid portrait of Glasgow life, creating a novel that examines class, family, religion, and sexuality with extraordinary compassion. It’s a powerful reminder that even in the harshest circumstances, people continue to reach for connection and hope.
Where to buy? Young Mungo is available to purchase at all reputable booksellers.
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Featured Image: Images Courtesy of Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon MGM Studios, Focus Features, Getty Images, Disney+, Apple TV, Crave.
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