1. THE Half of it
At first glance, The Half of It might seem like your typical high school rom-com — shy girl helps awkward boy woo the popular girl — but director Alice Wu quietly flips the genre on its head. The film never shouts its queerness, but instead lets it unfold tenderly through the eyes of Ellie Chu, a bookish teen who’s far more comfortable ghostwriting love letters than expressing her own feelings. It’s a story about identity, longing, and finding connection in unexpected places. While it doesn’t wear a rainbow flag on its sleeve, The Half of It beautifully captures what it means to be young, queer, and figuring it all out — without ever needing to make a big deal about it.
2. the perks of being a wallflower
Set in the early ‘90s but emotionally timeless, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a quiet exploration of trauma, friendship, and the search for belonging. While it centers on Charlie, an introverted teen navigating his first year of high school, it’s the world around him — including his openly gay best friend Patrick — that adds depth and texture to the story. Patrick’s queerness isn’t a lesson to be taught or a struggle to be overcome; it’s just part of who he is, presented with empathy and complexity. The film doesn’t center queerness, but it doesn’t ignore it either — it simply lets it live, breathe, and coexist in a story about healing and connection. It’s not labeled as a queer film, but for many, it feels like one.
3. ParaNorman
At first, ParaNorman seems like just another spooky-cute stop-motion kids’ movie — ghosts, zombies, a misunderstood kid who can talk to the dead. But beneath the quirky visuals and supernatural fun is a surprisingly progressive message about difference, fear, and acceptance. What really sets it apart? The film casually drops a coming-out moment near the end that’s so blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, it feels revolutionary in its nonchalance — especially for a family movie. No drama, no buildup, just a character being exactly who he is. ParaNorman doesn’t market itself as queer in any way, but its heart is firmly in the right place, showing kids (and adults) that being different isn’t something to be fixed — it’s something to be respected.
4. Lady Bird
On the surface, Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story about a restless teenage girl yearning to escape her Sacramento roots — but like all great stories about identity, it leaves room for queerness to quietly exist at the edges. While the film centers on Lady Bird herself, it’s her friend (and briefly love interest) Danny who gives the film one of its most heartbreaking and tender moments. His tearful coming out scene isn’t played for drama or plot; it’s an honest look at how hard it can be to just say the words. Lady Bird doesn’t try to make a statement about queerness — it just includes it, like life does. It’s this gentle, unforced inclusion that makes the film feel more real, and a little more like home.
5. palmer
Palmer isn’t marketed as a queer film — it’s a story about redemption, small-town stigma, and second chances. But at its core is Sam, a young boy who prefers dolls to football and expresses himself in ways that don’t fit the “boy” mold his world expects. The film never labels Sam, and that’s the point — it’s about letting a child be exactly who they are without needing to explain it. Watching Palmer (Justin Timberlake) move from discomfort to fierce protectiveness is a subtle but powerful portrayal of unlearning toxic masculinity and choosing love over judgment. Without ever waving a rainbow flag, Palmer quietly makes the case for unconditional acceptance — and it lingers longer because of it.
6. Billy Elliot
Set against the gritty backdrop of a mining town in 1980s England, Billy Elliot is often remembered as a dance movie — but it’s really about breaking free from the boxes we’re born into. Billy wants to do ballet, not boxing, and that simple desire ripples through his working-class world like a scandal. While Billy himself isn’t gay, the way the film explores masculinity, expression, and the fear of being labeled “other” hits right at the heart of queer-coded storytelling. His friendship with Michael, a boy who is quietly queer, adds another layer of tenderness and quiet resistance. Billy Elliot never waves a pride flag, but it dances around the same questions: Who gets to be who they are, and who decides?
7. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
This sun-soaked ensemble dramedy about British retirees relocating to India might not scream “queer cinema,” but tucked among the witty one-liners and culture-clash charm is a quietly moving subplot that deserves more attention. One of the residents, Graham, returns to India not just for the warmth or the food, but to find the man he loved — a relationship kept secret for decades. There’s no big coming-out scene, no overwrought drama — just quiet grief, hope, and the weight of a love that had to be hidden. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a reminder that queer stories don’t end at youth, and that representation can be all the more powerful when it’s wrapped in tenderness and restraint.
8. 9-1-1
At first glance, 9-1-1 is all high-stakes emergencies and explosive drama — collapsing buildings, runaway trains, near-death everything. But underneath the adrenaline is a show that’s surprisingly thoughtful about identity and inclusion. One of its lead characters, firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley, has a close bond with his openly gay colleague and friend, Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, whose queerness is never treated as an issue or storyline — it just is. The show also introduces queer characters in passing and with care, proving you can be mainstream, action-packed, and still deeply human. 9-1-1 doesn’t market itself as queer, but its quiet normalization of LGBTQ+ lives — especially in spaces like first responder teams — makes it more radical than it lets on.
9. The Last Of Us
On the surface, The Last of Us is a gritty, post-apocalyptic survival drama — all fungal zombies and crumbling cities. But within that bleakness are moments of staggering tenderness, none more memorable than the standalone episode “Long, Long Time,” which tells the decades-long love story of Bill and Frank. It’s a detour from the main plot, but one that hit viewers hard with its quiet beauty, showing that even at the end of the world, love — especially queer love — endures. Ellie, the series’ young protagonist, is also queer, but the show never makes her identity the centerpiece. It’s part of her, not all of her. The Last of Us doesn’t wave a banner, but it reminds us that queer stories belong in every genre — even the ones covered in blood and dust.
10. SCHITT'S CREEK
It’s rare to find a show that feels like a warm hug, but Schitt’s Creek manages exactly that — with its offbeat humor, lovable weirdos, and, most notably, its quietly radical approach to queerness. David Rose, a pansexual character, navigates love and identity without ever facing homophobia — not once. In a world where queer characters often suffer to be seen, Schitt’s Creek imagines a town where no one bats an eye, where acceptance isn’t earned but simply given. It’s not trying to “teach” you anything about queerness — and that’s what makes it so powerful. It just lets queer people be, joyfully and unapologetically, in a story that’s more about growth and family than it is about sexuality.
