The best LGBTQ+ movies and TV shows coming to streaming in December 2023
Here's your guide to the best and gayest hitting streaming platforms this month, featuring new releases, old favorites, and, yes, plenty of holiday cheer.
Image Credits: ‘Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!,’ HBO (left) | ‘Culprits,’ Hulu (center) | ‘Strangers On A Train,’ Warner Bros. (right)
The holiday season is upon us, and while that may be ho-ho-horrifying to some, others are already hanging up their mistletoe a spiking their nog in preparation for an onslaught of seasonal celebrations.
If you’re in the former camp, you’re probably looking for any excuse to distract yourself from all the “good tidings and cheer.” And, those on Team Christmas are likely on the hunt for some festive fare to stream while they decorate the tree. Either way, there’s plenty of fresh, new content hitting streaming platforms this month to help make your yuletide gay.
So, we’ve made our list and checked it twice, with plenty of queer and queer-adjacent favorites to keep you warm and cozy in December. This month will see the streaming premieres of the latest from a major voice of the New Queer Cinema that’s a real mother-off, a twisty heist thriller with some killer LGBTQ+ representation, a new special from a rising voice in the comedy world, and, yes, plenty of holiday classics, news and old.
Whether you use Netflix, Prime Video, Max (formerly HBO Max), Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, Tubi—or some combo of the those—Queerty has your can’t-miss recommendations for each.
So, get those watch lists ready; it’s going to be a very gay December.
Any film from the great queer filmmaker Todd Haynes—Carol, Far From Heaven, Velvet Goldmine—is an event in our books, but something about his latest feels seismic. Natalie Portman plays an actress observing the life of a woman she’s playing in her next movie: Gracie (Julianne Moore), who spent years in jail after her relationship with a minor became tabloid fodder. A-list talent diving into a juicy, thorny character study—what’s not to get excited about?!
Also Don’t Miss:
Blockers, 2018 (Dec. 1): A charming, sex-positive coming-of-age comedy with a charming young cast and a winning coming-out subplot.
The Crown, Season 6 – Part 2 (Dec. 14): Speaking of stories coming to an end, the hit prestige drama about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign finally catches up to the present.
Maestro (Dec. 20): Hotly tipped for Oscar season, Bradley Cooper follows up A Star Is Born with this biopic of noted American conductor and composer, Leonard Bernstein.
The ‘Riverdale’ star is receiving raves for his performance in ‘May December,’ the new film from ‘Carol’ director Todd Haynes .
Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ offerings in December 2023
Spotlight: Every Body (December 19)
From My Name Is Pauli Murray director Julie Cohen comes this stirring investigation into what it means to be intersex in today’s society. In following the lives of three individuals—actor/screenwriter River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him)—Every Body goes beyond the binary to shine a spotlight on this often overlooked group of the LGBTQ+ community.
Stardust, 2007 (Dec. 1): Based on the Neil Gaiman novel, this high-flying fantasy is better than it has any right to be, thanks especially to a charming cast that includes Sir Ian McKellen.
Gays love a dance floor anthem, an epic song of summer, a certified bop. The movie soundtracks have them all!
What’s gay on the way to Max in December 2023
Spotlight: Leo Reich: Literally Who Care?! (December 16)
Following acclaimed Off-Broadway and Edinburgh Film Festival runs, queer British comedian Leo Reich cements his “star on the rise” status with his first solo stand-up special, Literally Who Cares?!, on HBO. Brilliant, biting, and gleefully self-effacing, the 23-year-old comic’s show sends up self-serious performance art, coming-of-age and coming out, and the crushing ennui of being alive
Also Don’t Miss:
Die Another Day, 2002 (Dec. 1): The gays have a well-documented love-hate relationship with James Bond, but Pierce Brosnan’s last spin as 007 might be the campiest of all.
Notes On A Scandal, 2007 (Dec. 1): And, if you’re looking for a Judi Dench double feature, chase the spy flick with this beloved melodrama, featuring the dame going toe-to-toe with Cate Blanchett.
The Gilded Age, Season 2 Finale (Dec. 17): Somehow, Julian Fellowes’ follow-up to Downton Abbey got even gayer in season two, making this finale appointment television.
Rap Sh!t, Season 2 Finale (Dec. 21): And, if you’re not watching this fantastic comedy about two young women making it in the Miami rap scene—co-starring Jaboukie Young-White—catch up now!
Elaborate hats, meaningful glances, and a whole cast of Tony winners—’The Gilded Age’ is back, baby!
The best and queerest on Hulu this December 2023
Spotlight: Culprits (December 9)
This high-concept thriller starts where most heist stories end: A talented crew pulling off one last big score. But, years later, when the team starting getting killed off one-by-one, Joe—who happens to be a gay daddy with kids at home—has to make things right before his past catches up with him. Rising star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays our sympathetic anti-hero, with supporting turns for Gemma Arterton, Kirby, and Suzy Eddie Izzard.
Also Don’t Miss:
Hustlers, 2019 (Dec. 1): This J.Lo-starring, crowd-pleasing stripper tale features a Christmastime scene, so it does count as a holiday movie, FYI!
Magic Mike XXL, 2015 (Dec. 1): And, speaking of strippers, get your dollar bills ready because the sequel to Channing Tatum‘s Magic Mike delivers on every level.
We Live Here: The Midwest (Dec. 6): An uplifting doc that welcomes us into the lives of queer families who have made homes for themselves between the coasts and outside of major cities.
Blue Jean, 2022 (Dec. 14): A timely period piece that takes us back to 1980 England where a high school gym teacher tries to keep her queer identity a secret while at work.
All the gay streaming on Paramount+ in December 2023
Spotlight: Fellow Travelers, Series Finale (December 17)
One of our favorite show’s of the fall TV season is coming to an end. As star-crossed lover Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) and Tim “Skippy” Laughlin” cross paths again and again through the decades, it all leads up to the stirring finale episode, “Make It Easy.” Back in the ’80s, the pair comes to terms with some harsh truths and try to make their amends—meanwhile, flashbacks to the ’50s reveal some shocking details about the past that set these two down completely separate paths.
Also Don’t Miss:
Barbarella, 1968 (Dec. 1): If you’ve never seen this gonzo space opera featuring the great Jane Fonda, you’re missing out on an essential piece of gay culture!!!
Tangerine, 2015 (Dec. 1): A tense and frequently very funny indie following a day in the life of a trans sex worker. And, yes, it just so happens to be a holiday movie, too.
The Hours, 2002 (Dec. 1): Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway connects the stories of three women, played by the legendary trio of Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman.
The 2023 Kennedy Center Honors (Dec. 27): The annual gala honoring achievements in the arts will, this year, spotlight the “first lady of hip-hop” and queer trailblazer Queen Latifah.
The queen finally confirmed what queer fans knew for years.
Peacock’s upcoming LGBTQ+ releases this December 2023
Spotlight: Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas (December 12)
Barry Manilow is basically the gay Santa Claus at this point. The legendary crooner has no shortage of Christmas classics in his wheelhouse—including his just-released spin on Mariah Carey’s chart-dominating “All I Want For Christmas Is You”—and they make up his magical holiday revue, running right now in his beloved Las Vegas. But, if you can’t make it to Sin City, Peacock’s got your front-row seats to the show with this singalong special.
Also Don’t Miss:
Kajillionaire, 2020 (Dec. 1): Miranda July’s quirky dramedy about an emotionally stunted young woman (Evan Rachel Wood) and her con artist parents, with a surprising queer romance, too.
Pitch Perfect, 2012 (Dec. 1): The Anna Kendrick-led a cappella is such 2012 time capsule, but still has its charms and, of course, some standout musical moments.
Christmas On Cherry Lane (Dec. 10): One of Hallmark’s queer-friendly holiday offerings is this yuletide triptych, with Jonathan Bennett and Vicent Rodriguez III playing one of its central couples.
Friends & Family Christmas (Dec. 18): Plus, Hallmark has this seasonal sapphic rom-com about two women only pretending to be in a relationship—and, well, you know how that’s going to go.
“It was odd,” he admits. “You’ve got to admit, it was odd.”
Here’s what’s queer coming to Tubi in December 2023
Spotlight: Strangers On A Train, 1951 (December 1)
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most unnerving thrillers is also one of his gayest. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel (who also wrote the books that inspired Carol and The Talented Mr. Ripley), it’s the story of a smooth-talker named Bruno (Robert Walker) who meets tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) on a train and tries to convince him into a murder-swapping scheme. Much has been made of the film’s heavy gay subtext and Bruno’s queer-coded villainy, and, well, you’ll just have to see it and decide for yourself!
Orlando, 1992 (Dec. 1): Tilda Swinton gives an all-time great performance in this adaptation of the Virgina Woolf novel, a crucial text in women’s and transgender studies.
Threesome, 1994 (Dec. 1): In this frequently overlooked ’90s romance, two college buddies and their accidental female roommate fall into a messy, erotic—and, yes, queer—love triangle.
Summer Of ’85, 2020 (Dec. 15): Fantastic French filmmaker François Ozon helms this tender about two teens who fall in love over the course of one fateful summer.
![[PHOTOS] Meet the gorgeous men of Melbourne](https://lgbtprime.com/uploads/images/202410/image_430x256_67183c8fbd6ad.jpg)
