Pride Month: 5 LGBTQ+ series to watch or rediscover

The series “Pose” has been renewed for a third season, which is due to air in 2020. Image: courtesy of FX via AFP Relaxnews

From the post-WWII era with “Hollywood” to the 1980s with “Pose” and “Tales of the City”, and onward to today’s world with “The L Word: Generation Q” and “Transparent”, here is a selection of series that turn a spotlight on social change during the decades-long struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.

Pose

Set in 1980s New York at a time when ballrooms and voguing were all the rage in the gay and trans community, a new era is about to begin in the very different worlds of luxury and emerging literary talent in the city that never sleeps.

“Pose” stars Billy Porter, Evan Peters, Kate Mara and James Van Der Beek. It is available on FX and BBC.

The L Word: Generation Q

Ten years after the events of “The L Word”, viewers are once again reintroduced to the love lives and everyday ups and downs of a group of lesbian and bisexual women in Los Angeles. Bette is mounting a campaign to run for mayor, while Alice is now a television host. Shane, for her part, has built a career as a hairdresser and, even more surprisingly, is now married.

“The L Word: Generation Q” stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. It is available on Showtime.

Tales of the City

After a 23-year absence, Mary Ann returns to San Francisco to celebrate her former landlady Anna Madrigal’s 90th birthday. A central figure at the heart of a close-knit community, Anna nonetheless has many secrets from her friends. Mary Ann also wants to reveal a secret of her own to Shawna. She needs to know that Mary Ann is not her biological mother.

“Tales of the City” stars Laura Linney, Ellen Page and Olympia Dukakis. It is available on Netflix.

Transparent

Morton, the patriarch of the Pfefferman family, gathers his children to make a confession. From now on, the retired professor has decided to accept himself as a trans woman and call himself Maura. It is a change of gender that comes after many years of suffering and one that will bring out all the secrets of his distraught family.

“Transparent” stars Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass and Amy Landecker. It is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Hollywood

In Hollywood, dreams are everywhere, not just on the big screen. In the aftermath of WWII, actors from highly varied backgrounds come to Tinseltown in a bid to find a place in the limelight. But notwithstanding their talent, the film industry is pitiless in its treatment of people of color, women and homosexuals. These are inequalities that still exist in the world of film, but what might have happened if these power dynamics were dismantled?

“Hollywood” stars Darren Criss, Dylan McDermott, Jeremy Pope, Pati LuPone, Jim Parsons and Holland Taylor. It is available on Netflix. IB

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