WATCH: The best LGBTQ+ movie trailers that dropped in August 2023

With fall just around the corner, film buffs are taking their multivitamins and prepping for the kick-off to another “awards season.”

Fittingly, August brought with it first looks at a numbers of movies we’re sure to be talking about through the end of 2023 and beyond, including not one, not two, but three star-studded biopics about important LGBTQ+ figures from the past century.

But if that standard “awards fare” feels a little too stuffy for you, then the past month also delivered new previews for up-and-coming queer entertainment that looks decidedly more twisted—everything from a homoerotic thriller to a raunchy musical about a couple of dicks to a dark comedy that we’ll just say has…. way more than just “a couple of dicks.”

To help you stay ahead of it all, we’ve assembled a rundown of the best and gayest trailers that hit the internet throughout August, with reminders of when and where you can watch. Check them all out below and mark your calendars accordingly!

Patterns

Rugby legend and LGBTQ+ ally (and inspiration for many sexual awakenings, no doubt) Ben Cohen stars in sexy queer series Patterns, but he’s just one of many, many people popping in and out of this high-concept anthology that sounds distinctly British. Each episode tells a unique story of love and longing through the lens of a specific style of comedy—slapstick, pantomime, etc…—all the while characters criss-cross narratives and create all sorts of fun, messy drama.

Now streaming on Dekkoo.

Related:

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The rugby great has a role in an episode of the British series, “Patterns.”

Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files Of The Boy Scouts Of America

This bracing new true-crime documentary boldly investigates the crimes and cover-ups that have marred the Boys Scouts Of America’s one-hundred-plus-year history, particularly its systemic efforts to cover up tens of thousands of claims of child sexual abuse. Speaking with whistleblowers, survivors, and other experts, Scout’s Honor untangles the complicated web of lies, and highlights the heartbreaking toll its taken on countless young lives.

Premiering September 6 on Netflix.

Rotting In The Sun

Actor and comedian Jordan Firstman interrogates his own online persona in this cutting and clever comedy-turned-mystery. After a chance encounter with director Sebastián Silva (also playing himself) at the nude beach, Jordan thinks he’s found his next creative (and sexual) partner, but when the filmmaker suddenly goes missing, the reluctant “influencer” has to figure out if he’s been ghosted or if something darker is afoot. Oh, and did we mention there are lots of d*cks?

Opening in select theaters on September 8, streaming on Mubi beginning September 15.

Cassandro

Screen crush Gael García Bernal stars as exótico wrestler Cassandro, “The Liberace Of Lucha Libre,” in this biopic that brings flash, flair, and even more spandex to the sports biopic. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams tells the boundry-breaking luchador’s story from rags to glittery glory and global superstardom, also featuring A League Of Their Own‘s Robert Colindrez, Looking‘s Raúl Castillo, and rapper Bad Bunny in a supporting role that’s sure to raise some eyebrows.

In theaters September 15, streaming exclusively on Prime Video beginning September 22.

Related:

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Benito continues to give the gays everything we could want.

Dicks: The Musical

If The Parent Trap were gayer, raunchier, and featured a scene-stealing role from Megan Thee Stallion, it might look something like Dicks: The Musical, an original comedy written by and starring New York City’s queer comedy staples Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp. They play a pair of business rivals who discover they’re long-list twins and devise an over-complicated plan to get their parents (Nathan Lane & Megan Mulally) back together. But, trust us, it’s even wilder, funnier, and more shocking than that sounds.

Hitting select theaters on September 29.

Rustin

Sixty years ago this summer, the March On Washington broke significant ground for the civil rights movement, culminating with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. But not everyone knows that one of the people behind the march was gay activist and organizer Bayard Rustin. In this buzzy biopic produced by the Obamas, Emmy-award winning out actor Colman Domingo plays the titular mover and shaker, whose work made significant strides for the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.

Opening in theaters November 3, streaming exclusively on Netflix beginning November 17.

Related:

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If Colman Domingo isn’t already considered a household name, he’s about to be.

Saltburn

Ever since it was likened to The Talented Mr. Ripley, we’ve had a burning desire to see Saltburn, the latest from Promising Young Woman writer-director Emerald Fennell. In it, outcast Oxford student Oliver Quick (The Banshees Of Inisherin‘s Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the lavish world of his alluring classmate, Felix Catton (Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi). But a summer spent at Felix’s family’s scenic estate turns far more twisted than anyone bargained for.

Coming to select theaters on November 24, opening wide on December 1.

Maestro

Already one of the most debated films of the upcoming awards season, Maestro is actor-turned-director Bradley Cooper’s follow-up to A Star Is Born, this time focusing on a real-life musician, Leonard Bernstein. The film tells the composer and songwriter’s life story through the lens of his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), as well as his many known affairs with other men. But it’s not those gay trysts that have already made Maestro so controversial, it’s that fact that Cooper’s wearing a prosthetic nose for the role.

Opening in theaters November 23, streaming exclusively on Netflix beginning December 20.

Related:

The man who had sex with Bradley Cooper (in a movie!) says “it’s fine” if he plays gay composer Leonard Bernstein

We’ve only seen a trailer thus far, but Bradley Cooper’s biopic ‘Maestro’ is already one of the most controversial movies of the fall.