Entertainment
‘XO Kitty’, ‘Heartstopper’, ‘Euphoria’ and More YA LGBTQIA+ TV Shows to Watch During Pride Month
June is here, which means it’s Pride Month!
Tuning into TV shows that tell meaningful stories about the LGBTQIA+ community is just one way to celebrate — and Young Adult (YA) series do it best, considering coming-of-age stories tend to explore the challenges of growing up while navigating identity, sexuality, and relationships.
Scroll down to discover five beloved YA series highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community that you should add to your Pride Month watchlist!
XO, Kitty (Netflix)
The spinoff of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys film series follows “matchmaker” Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) as she decides to leave the United States to attend boarding school in Seoul, South Korea, to be with her long-distance boyfriend, Dae (Minyeong Choi). However, once Kitty gets there, she discovers that love is more complicated than she expected and comes to a realization about her sexuality.
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Kitty meets Yuri Han (Gia Kim), a fellow student dealing with the heartbreak of being forced to end a relationship with her girlfriend due to their unaccepting parents. Kitty also forms a strong friendship with Quincy “Q” Shabazian (Anthony Keyvan), an openly gay student.
Sex Education (Netflix)
This British television show — which ran for four seasons and won an International Emmy Award — followed Otis Millburn (Asa Butterfield), whose mother, Jean Millburn (Gillian Anderson), is a sex therapist. This mother-son dynamic led to many hilarious, awkward, and sweet storylines.
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Otis’ best friend, Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa), is gay and comes from a religious Ghanaian-Nigerian family. Eric gets bullied in school by Adam Groff (Connor Swindells), the headmaster’s son, who acts out of self-hatred as he has yet to come to terms with his own sexuality.
Yellowjackets (Paramount+)
A high school girls’ soccer team from New Jersey gets stuck in the Canadian wilderness in this epic survival series. The thriller drama flashes between the past and present as the surviving women, now grown, attempt to cope with the trauma of their time stranded in the woods.
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There is a prominent queer relationship featured between Taissa “Tai” Turner (Jasmine Savoy and Tawny Cypress) and Vanessa “Van” Palmer (Liv Hewson and Lauren Ambrose), who will do just about anything to keep each other safe.
Additionally, the girl’s soccer coach, Ben Scott (Steven Krueger), keeps the fact that he has a boyfriend back home a secret.
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Another British show that excels at exploring LGBTQIA+ storylines is Heartstopper, which is based on the graphic novel and webcomic series written by Alice Oseman.
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The romance series focuses on Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), a gay, shy high schooler who has a crush on his popular classmate Nicholas “Nick” Nelson (Kit Connor). Nick begins to explore his sexuality and realizes it might not be as black-and-white as he thought.
In 2023, the show won a GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Live Action.
Euphoria (MAX)
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Of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without this iconic teen drama! Zendaya portrays Rue Bennett, who is in a queer relationship with Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl. The show beautifully showcases the highs and lows of their relationship, which is greatly impacted by Rue’s substance abuse.
