LGBT+ history month is coming to an end, and this year’s theme has been medicine, #UnderTheScope.
2024’s theme celebrates LGBT+ people’s contributions to health and medicine, while also recognising some of the inequalities the community has faced accessing healthcare.
As broadcasting regulator, we’re marking it by shining a light on some of the major TV and streaming moments that have explored these topics on screen. These are just some of the many landmark shows that have covered issues relevant to this year’s theme, with others airing across UK and international broadcasters – as well as streaming sites.
It’s A Sin
Channel 4 drama written by Russell T Davies about five friends growing up during the AIDS/HIV crisis in Britain in the 1980s. The programme devastatingly depicts the discrimination faced by the community at the time, while also celebrating gay culture.
Sex Education
Netflix series about a teenage boy with a sex therapist mother who sets up a sex advice clinic at his high school. The show has been praised for its inclusivity in its depictions of relationships, as it features storylines about queer relationships and gender identity. The series has also been highlighted for the way it portrays sexual health issues in a frank and non-judgemental way.
Queer as Folk
Russell T Davies’ series about three gay men living in Manchester in the 1990s. A US version set in Pittsburgh was made in the 2000s and explored themes like AIDS, gay parental rights and gay marriage. The original show recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. It has been praised as a lifeline for the LGBT+ community for going beyond stereotypical depictions of being gay in the 90s.
Feel Good
Channel 4 series starring comedian Mae Martin, as they embark on a new relationship while battling drug addiction. The semi-autobiographical six-part rom-com explores themes like new love, toxic families, and drug dependency.
Tick, Tick… Boom!
A Netflix film based on the musical created by playwright Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick… Boom! is a contemporary rock musical following struggling artists living in New York and sheds light on queer stories during the AIDS epidemic.
Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth
Documentary film exploring the captivating journey of Freddy, a transgender gay man. We follow his experience as he embarks on the unique path of starting a family. The film delves into the poignant challenges he encounters on physical, medical, and societal fronts.
Paid â Dweud Hoyw
This documentary follows Stifyn Parri as he traces the story of Clause 28, which he found himself fighting against personally. This clause of the Local Government Act 1988 had banned local authorities and schools from ‘promoting homosexuality’ preventing generations of LGBTQ+ pupils seeing themselves represented in content as well as preventing teachings of same sex relationships. This programme is in Welsh and available on BBC iPlayer.
Fellow Travellers
One-off series that centres on the decades-long romance between two men who first meet during the height of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Set in Washington DC, the series explores the relationship between two political staffers they face the threat of getting caught.