SUMMARY
Considering the quality, quantity, and diversity of films distributed under the Netflix banner, GLAAD has given Netflix a FAIR grade.
Netflix saw some standout films this year featuring leading LGBTQ characters: Rustin, the story of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, giving the historical figure his due; Nimona, an animated kids and family film featuring a gay love story in the center of a fantasy world; and Nyad, the story of a lesbian athlete overcoming the odds.
Beyond these films, though, Netflix’s programming still needs significant improvement in terms of LGBTQ representation, specifically in films where LGBTQ characters are relegated to supporting roles. This is most prominent in romantic comedies, where queer stories simply exist to bolster straight narratives, such as in Happiness For Beginners, You People, and Your Place or Mine. As GLAAD specifically called out this issue in the previous study, it is particularly disheartening that Netflix did not feature any films in this genre with LGBTQ leads.
HISTORY
Netflix Inc.’s streaming platform launched in 2007 and has been distributing original films since 2015’s Beasts of No Nation. Due to the COVID pandemic shutting down theaters in 2020, the streamer purchased and released numerous films originally scheduled for theatrical release. In 2021, Netflix announced an agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment for a first-look deal for future direct-to-streaming films produced by Sony Pictures. As of 2022, Netflix originals made up half of its library in the United States. In September 2023, Netflix officially discontinued its DVD-by-mail service.
Previous LGBTQ-inclusive films from the streaming giant consist of GLAAD Media Award nominees and recipients Tig (2015), The Boys in the Band (2020), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), The Half of It (2020), The Old Guard (2020), Alice Júnior (2020), Disclosure (2020), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021), The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021), Single All the Way (2021), Pray Away (2021), The Fear Street Trilogy (2021), Do Revenge (2022), Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story (2022), and Wendell & Wild (2022), among others.
Note: Many Netflix films had theatrical runs before going to the streaming service which were widely reported on; GLAAD has counted those titles as theatrically released films. Netflix does not share their theatrical release numbers publicly and the company declined to provide this information for this study, as such these numbers cannot be cited in this study and are listed as “Unknown.”
Happiness for Beginners follows protagonist Helen taking a survivalist course along the Appalachian trail, where she falls for Jake. Another hiker is Hugh, a gay man, who becomes close with Helen. Hugh falls into the “gay best friend” role in a romantic comedy, though there is a brief moment where his advice for Helen does propel the plot forward. Hugh is also the least athletic and outdoorsy person on the hiking trail, and a scene where he gets injured is initially played for laughs, although it is eventually taken seriously. While having an Asian American gay man as a significant character is exciting, it is disappointing that nearly all of his story revolves around the straight white woman who leads this romantic comedy.
The continuation of the Luther series included one gay character, Derek Standish, who was blackmailed and catfished by the serial killer antagonist. Standish was communicating online with someone he thought was into the same form of sexual submission that he was, when in reality, the killer was setting up Standish to sexually assault a stranger, and for Standish to think it was consensual, as the other man did not say the safe word. While this situation exists to show the depravity of the killer, the fact that the only gay person in the film was associated with these dark sexual acts feeds into misinformation and harmful narratives about gay men committing sexual assault.
A biopic of infamous composer Leonard Bernstein, Maestro takes place over the course of several decades of Berstein’s life. The film’s focus, rather than Bernstein’s innumerable contributions to music, is his relationship with his wife Felicia. This relationship is shown as strained, as the audience meets Bernstein when he is sleeping with men, and later on, sees him cheating on his wife with his lover, Tommy, and eventually leaving her, until he and Felcia reconcile once she is diagnosed with cancer. The way this film portrays Berstein’s sexuality is mostly focusing on his shame and how much it affected his relationship with Felicia, which is disappointing, given that Berstein in real life became a fierce advocate during the HIV and AIDS crisis, and was quite open about his sexuality. Using queerness as an obstacle in a straight marriage falls into old tropes and ways of centering heterosexuality even in a film about a queer artist.
This drama takes place 20 years after a ripped-from-the-headlines affair between Gracie and Joe, who were a teacher and her student at the time. Gracie and Joe are still together when Elizabeth, an actress set to portray Gracie in a film adaptation, comes to town asking questions. One of the people Elizabeth talks to is Georgie, Gracie’s adult son from a previous marriage who is generally outspoken and doesn’t have a relationship with his mother. Georgie briefly mentions giving a hand job to another boy when he was younger. This is the only time his sexuality is mentioned, but he does play a significant part in the film.
This animated film, based on the graphic novel of the same name, follows the titular Nimona, a shapeshifter who works for former knight Ballister Blackheart. The film starts with Blackheart being framed for murder as he is about to be knighted. At the ceremony, he is with his boyfriend, Ambrosious Goldenloin, and the audience gets confirmation that the two are lovers before everything goes awry. Blackheart and Goldenloin’s relationship as lovers then nemeses and eventually finding their way back to each other is a very large part of the film. A queer romance as a driving force of an animated fantasy film is a very exciting development, especially when the characters are shown with nuance and heart. Stories of knights and queens have so often had a heterosexual lens, and it’s refreshing to see the genre reframed. 
Nyad follows the true story of 64-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad making the choice to swim from Cuba to Florida, a journey that had never been made before. The film portrays Nyad as a lesbian, along with her coach and best friend Bonnie, with an offhand remark that they briefly dated, before realizing they were much better as friends. Bonnie also tries to set Nyad up with another woman, which does not work out due to Nyad’s ego and obsession with swimming. Overall, the film showed a rarity in two older queer women as the main characters without any romance, but a strong lifelong bond. Diana Nyad’s story also showcases one of the great athletes of our time, and casually included her identity as a part of who she is.
Rustin tells the story of activist Bayard Rustin, one of the organizers of the civil rights march on Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave the infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. Rustin was gay, and this film does not shy away from his sexuality, showing him with lovers including Elias Taylor and the fictional Tom Kahn. The film also shows that though many of his close relationships knew of his sexuality, given the time period, many were still worried about his sexuality affecting the march’s success. Rustin is never shown being ashamed of his sexuality, even though others, including the married Taylor, were. Being gay does end up leading to Rustin both getting fired and being arrested, with the film showing the time period consequences while also showing Rustin’s unique advocacy and pride. Rustin ends with text on screen saying how he fell in love with Walter Nagle and was with him until he passed.
This film finale of The Last Kingdom series follows the medieval war over who shall claim the throne of England. Aethelstan, who becomes the rightful king early on in the film, has an advisor, Ingilmundr, who is also his lover. Midway through the film, it is revealed that Ingilmundr is a spy for the Danes and is using his relationship with Aethelstan to manipulate him politically. When Aethelstan finds this out, the two former lovers meet in battle and Aethelstan prevails. When Ingilmundr is about to be executed, Aethelstan asks him if any of their relationship was real. Ingilmundr says he was fond of Aethelstan, but his love for his people prevailed. Then Aethelstan’s soldiers kill him. Despite one of the two gay characters being a villain who ended up dying, none of this was due to his queerness. This romance and betrayal was treated with the same gravitas that a straight couple in the genre would face, and a gay man ended up being one of the heroes and the king of this film.
This comedy follows the culture clash between the families of Ezra, a white Jewish man, and Amira, a Black Muslim woman, who start dating. Ezra’s parents continually brag about how progressive they are, including touting out Liza, Ezra’s sister who is a lesbian. Ezra’s podcast co-host Mo is also a lesbian and is Ezra’s main confidant in the film, giving him advice and suggesting he meet Amira’s family. Overall, the inclusion is relatively minor, as the story revolves around a straight couple and their families.
Your Place or Mine is a romantic comedy that follows best friends Debbie and Peter as they swap houses for a week. One of Peter’s good friends is Alicia, who supports and advises him to finally act on his feelings for Debbie. Alicia has one brief mention of a female partner, but beyond that, she exists in the context of supporting her straight friend. This is another situation of queer characters in romantic comedies not getting their own narrative, but propping up straight love stories.