The best LGBTQ+ movies and TV shows coming to streaming in September 2023

September kicks off with the long Labor Day weekend, and if you’re able to celebrate the holiday the way it’s intended, you won’t be laboring at all.

In other words, you’re going to need to kick back, relax, and watch something gay—and we’ve got you covered: There are plenty of fantastic queer and queer-adjacent TV series, films, and specials dropping on streaming platforms in the coming weeks to keep you busy this Labor Day and beyond.

Across the major streamers, this month will see the farewell season of a bawdy British favorite, a flashy biopic about one of the flashiest wrestlers to ever grace the ring, and a new (temporary) streaming home for a couple of vampires so sexy they make Edward Cullen look like Count Chocula. Plus, there are streaming debuts of queer classics new and old, from sweet teen romance Beautiful Thing to a swinging Studio 54 drama much better than its reputation suggests.

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 September.

Jump to your streaming platform of choice:

Netflix • Prime Video • Max • Hulu • Paramount+ • Peacock • Tubi

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What’s new and gay on Netflix in September 2023

Spotlight: Sex Education, Season 4 (September 21)

Ncuti Gatwa’s about to step into the TARDIS and become the new Time Lord of Doctor Who, and Emma Mackey’s dancing the night away in BarbieLand to celebrate her billion-dollar blockbuster, but neither would dare miss their Sex Education finals. Yes, the beloved, bawdy, and British sex comedy is getting ready to say its goodbyes, setting its lovable gang off on new adventures in this last batch of episodes. Get ready for more laughs, love, lust, and an extra special appearance from the one-and-only Dan Levy.

Also Don’t Miss:

• Matilda, 1996 (Sep. 1): Heartwarming, whimsical, and a little wicked, Danny DeVito’s take on the Roald Dahl classic is for anyone who every felt like an outsider.
• Love Again, 2023 (Sep. 2): Look, no promises this hetero rom-com is any good, but it does feature the music of (and a cameo from!) the icon Celine Dion.
• Scouts Honor: The Secret Files Of The Boy Scouts Of America, 2023 (Sep. 6): A harrowing examination of the tens of thousands of child sex abuse claims made against the BSA.
• Glow Up, Season 5 (Sep. 12): The return of The BBC and Netflix’s colorful and super-queer makeup artist reality competition show.

Related:

‘Sex Education’: Still redefining what it means to be black and gay on TV

In season two of Netflix’s “Sex Education”, high schooler Eric finally graduates from the sidekick role once reserved for black gay characters on TV into something of a romantic lead.

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Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ offerings in September 2023

Spotlight: Cassandro, 2023 (September 22)

Step into the ring with the “Liberace Of Lucha Libre,” Cassandro, the flamboyant, gay exótico wrestler who body-slammed his way to international superstardom. Y Tu Mamá También heartthrob Gael García Bernal plays the lovable luchador in this winning biopic that sparkled when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year. He’ll star alongside other favorites like A League Of Their Own‘s Roberta Colidnrez, Looking‘s Raúl Castillo, and Grammy-winning rapper Bad Bunny, who steals hearts and scenes in a supporting role.

Also Don’t Miss:

• All About My Mother, 1999 (Sep. 1): Queer Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s acclaimed, Oscar-winning melodrama about a bereaved mother.
• Tangerine, 2015 (Sep. 1): A groundbreaking indie comedy about an eventful Christmas Eve for two trans sex workers.
• The Wheel Of Time, Season 2 (Sep. 1): A high-fantasy series starring Rosamund Pike, which manages to give the beloved source novels a big boost of queerness.
• Gen V, Season 1 (Sep. 29): A spin-off of raunchy and violent superhero series The Boys, Gen V follows the adventures of young “Supes” at a prestigious crimefighting school.

Related:

Bad Bunny opens up about kissing men and now we love him even more

After locking lips with a backup dancer at the VMAs, Bad Bunny nearly broke the internet when his movie kiss with Gael Garcia Bernal leaked online.

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What’s gay on the way to Max in September 2023

Spotlight: Interview With The Vampire, Season 1 (Sep. 1)

For a limited time only, a handful of AMC’s most exciting series will stream exclusively on Max, including the underrated thriller Dark Winds and all four seasons of sapphic spy dramedy Killing Eve. But best of all, this gives everyone a chance to catch up with the lush and lusty TV adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire, which really sinks its teeth into the homoerotic relationship between the immortal Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt. Never have the undead been so sexy! 

Also Don’t Miss:

• Little Shop Of Horrors, 1986 (Sep. 1): “Suuuuuddenly Seymor!”—doesn’t the mere mention of this musical make you wanna just sing along with it?
• Mommie Dearest, 1981 (Sep. 1): “Noooo wiiiiire haaaaangersss!”—doesn’t the mere mention of this camp classic make you wanna just shout the iconic lines along with it?
• Donyale Luna: Super Model, 2023 (Sep. 12): A closer look at the groundbreaking and tragically short life of “the first Black supermodel”
• Sam Jay: Salute Me Or Shoot Me, 2023 (TBA): The hilarious gay comic’s never been one to bite her tongue, so a new special from her is always worth a watch.

Related:

We need to talk about the full-on gay fang-bang that was Episode Two of ‘Interview With the Vampire’

Louis is (un)dead and… well, maybe not loving it, but Lestat sure seems to be having a blast in the past.

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The best and queerest on Hulu this September 2023

Spotlight: Never Let Him Go (September 6)

In 1998, not long after moving from America to Australia, a gay man named Scott Johnson was found dead at the bottom of a coastal cliff outside of Sydney. Local authorities ruled it a suicide, but Johnson’s family couldn’t believe it, so they continued searching for answers for over three decades, shining a light on the epidemic of anti-gay violence in the process. This four-part true crime docuseries set out to tell the family’s story of perseverance, but never expected to also capture a new breakthrough in a 35-year old case.

Also Don’t Miss:

• Love, Simon, 2018 (Sep. 1): You get to exhale now, dear reader, because this sweet gay rom-com is finally back on streaming.
• Theater Camp, 2023 (Sep. 14): In a big summer for comedies, one of the surprise delights was this hilarious and heartwarming ode to theater kids, starring fiancés Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and more.
• American Horror Story: Delicate, 2023 (Sep. 21): We doubt this Kim Kardashian-starring season will be nearly as gay as the last one set in NYC, but we’re too curious to not tune in.
• Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Season 2 (Sep. 26): This celebs-in-military-training competition series returns with an all new cast of “Who?’s” and the one and only Jojo Siwa.

Related:

Gay compulsive liars, rich kid robberies, and more true crime to stream this weekend

From jaw-dropping true crime docs to ripped-from-the-headline romps, here are some criminally good streaming recs for your weekend.

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All the gay stuff on the way to Paramount+ in September 2023

Spotlight: 54, 1998 (September 1)

What happened at the famed disco-era nightclub Studio 54 stayed at Studio 54. But this ensemble movie set out to dramatize some of the stories within those hallowed, glittery walls, breathing new life into the New York institution, featuring icons like Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, and Ryan Phillippe as a bisexual bartender. The original movie was pretty widely panned in ’98, but a decade later writer-director Mark Christopher released an extended cut that’s been praised by LGBTQ+ audiences for its blend of hedonism and melancholy.

Also Don’t Miss:

• The First Wives Club, 1996 (Sep. 1): Better Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn in one of the most quotable comedies of… ever?
• The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999 (Sep. 1): A star-studded homoerotic thriller for the ages, and one fo the great entires of the “Be Gay, Do Crime” canon.
• MTV Video Music Awards 2023 (Sep. 13): The VMAs are known for over-the-top performances and over-the-top drama, so it’s one awards show always worth tuning into.
• Cursed Friends, 2022 (Sep. 20): An exceedingly silly horror-comedy about friends whose old childhood game of M.A.S.H. comes back to haunt them—starring our fave, Harvey Guillén.

Related:

Harvey Guillén talks scary movies, Britney, and shares a peek at his favorite Halloween costume ever

Harvey Guillén dishes on queer rom-com dreams, the horror movie that traumatized him as a kid, and so much more.

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Peacock’s upcoming LGBTQ+ releases this September 2023

Spotlight: Psycho, 1960 (September 1)

In many people’s eyes, the beginning of September marks the start of fall—and therefore it’s not too soon to start celebrating “Spooky Season.” With Halloween now less than two month away, Peacock’s bringing plenty of scary classics to the platform, including the grandaddy of horror-as-queer-metaphor movies, Hitchcock’s Psycho. It’s simply one of the most thrilling and game-changing movies of all time, so come for a few good shrieks, and stay for the great performance from the handsome, beguiling, and gay Anthony Perkins.

Also Don’t Miss:

• Easy A, 2010 (Sep. 1): Emma Stone as comedic anti-hero and Stanley Tucci as hot bi dad? What’s not to love?
• Marnie, 1964 (Sep. 1): Hitchcock’s suspenseful thriller is more than a little problematic, but has been read by scholars as a story of queer resilience.
• The Matrix, 1999 (Sep. 1): Trans directors The Wachowski’s broke the mold and forever changed the action-blockbuster landscape with this one.
• Seed Of Chucky, 2004 (Sep. 1): In a horror franchise that’s always been by and for the gays, this entry just might be the gayest of all.

Related:

WATCH: Closeted ‘Psycho’ star Anthony Perkins’ son spills the tea in new queer horror doc

Shudder’s ‘Queer For Fear’ docuseries explores the history of the genre’s queer appeal, including an unforgettable performance from one of Hollywood’s most famous closeted actors.

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Here’s what’s queer coming to Tubi in September 2023

Spotlight: Beautiful Thing, 1996 (September 1)

Soundtracked by the music of The Mamas & The Papas, this early gay romantic dramedy remains one of the subgenre’s very best. From filmmaker Hettie Macdonald, Beautiful Thing transports us to the working-class estates of mid-’90s London, where teenaged Jamie (Glen Berry) is beginning to realize he sees schoolmate Ste (Scott Neal) as more than a friend. Both coming from broken homes, the two find hope and freedom in one another. By the time “Dream a Little Dream of Me” rolls over the final scene, you’ll be a puddle of happy tears.

Also Don’t Miss:

• Bad Education, 2004 (Sep. 1): Almodóvar’s tense story of queerness and repression under Fascist rule, starring Gael García Bernal.
• The Color Purple, 1985 (Sep. 1): Before the big movie musical version later this year, revisit Spielberg’s award-winning take on the Alice Walker novel.
• Magic Mike XXL, 2015 (Sep. 1): The first Magic Mike was surprisingly somber, but the sequel gleefully delivers on the horny promise of “a movie about male strippers.”
• Running With Scissors, 2006 (Sep. 1): Ryan Murphy directs this adaptation of Augusten Burroughs too-wild-to-be true coming-of-age memoir.

Related:

London boys in love, sexually confused extracurriculars & more coming-of-age tales to stream this weekend

Kick off Pride Month with some hidden gem coming-out movies.