The tagline for the series says it all: “Boy meets boy. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that there’s no bigger viral hit right now than Heartstopper, Netflix’s queer rom-com that follows the love story of outcast Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and rugby-star Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). Whether you’re looking for wholesome high school romance or juicy college flings, there’s something for everyone in the burgeoning feel-good category of LGBTQ+ representation. With so much queer representation to choose from now, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice, but if you’re in the market for heartwarming queer stories, we’ve got you covered. Only recently has TV stepped away from solely causing its queer characters pain, allowing representation to become more than just coming out stories and tales of the closet. However, a majority of those stories over the years have featured an abundance of queer pain, often through the use of rejection and homophobia as the core wounds inflicted on LGBTQ+ characters. What started as the first inklings of representation through Will & Grace, and fleeting mentions in ‘80s classics like The Golden Girls, has now blossomed into queer stories infiltrating nearly every genre. Queer storytelling has gone through an incredible shift in the past decade.
