15 LGBTQ+ People Tell Us What Is Bringing Them Queer Joy Right Now
BuzzFeed
·8 min read
Netflix
Watching Heartstopper was a reminder of what it is to be alive: to be open to the joy of finding yourself, even despite all of life’s complications. It’s a complicated time to be LGBTQ, to say the least. Last week a leaked draft opinion signaled that the Supreme Court is preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade — a decision that would threaten reproductive health care access for countless queer, trans, and non-binary people and potentially undermine key LGBTQ rights victories. More than 230 bills have been introduced this year targeting rights and protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, primarily trans youth. And yet seeing Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) fall in love in spite of the challenges facing our community was a reminder that we have the capacity to find love and acceptance through it all. We can still thrive in a world that is too often unkind to us.
As we struggle to persist during difficult times, BuzzFeed asked 15 LGBTQ people what is bringing them joy right now — whether it’s a hit Netflix YA series, a queer group chat, or literally finding light in the darkness.
As LGBTQ people, we declare our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness against constant opposition. Although we fight restlessly, we still harness the power of love and laughter. For me, that comes in queer literature. In the last months, I have been locked in Giovanni's Room, reworked my life’s color scheme with All Boys are Blue, and learned that I'm not the only Greedy Bisexual Who Wants Too Much. To my LGBTQ fam who feel alone, I urge you to pick up a book by a queer author. Laugh, cry, heal, and smile with us. Our literature keeps us together.
People think I’m a Rose, but I’m a Dorothy. Again and again, I come back to TheGolden Girls. These women helped me feel less alone when I was a kid growing up on an isolated Pennsylvania farm, and the pandemic has deepened my joy over the Henny Penny episode. I’ve only recently realized that I’m a Dorothy because she doesn’t fulfill her gender role “correctly,” and people make assumptions about her value and attractiveness because of it. (Also she has a contentious relationship with her mother!) The Henny Penny play-within-a-play is an étude on inevitability and friendship, and I love it.
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