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  • Underrated Queer Series You Can Binge Watch in Two Days

    As a queer person, there’s no better pick me up than watching hours of queer shows during the weekend to make you feel better. The series on this list has some of the best reps and some of the most unforgettable characters. Not every time “we outside”, sometimes stay in and enjoy these seven underrated queer series; it’ll only take you two days anyway. 

    Our Flag Means Death

    My new favourite TV thing is when writers rewrite history. Black British royalty, Ariana Grande’s music in the 1800s, and Our Flag Means Death did not shy away. This show is a ten-episodes-too-short romantic comedy that follows the life of Captain Stede and his almost entirely queer crew. You get to enjoy a rarely seen fun yet tender relationship between two men where they end up together. Our Flag Means Death feels almost revolutionary with how effortlessly all the queer characters are portrayed, and that’s why it’s a 10/10. 

    READ ALSO: Here’s What Your Favourite Lesbian Movie Says About You

    Trigonometry

    If you had to pick one show on this list to watch, let it be Trigonometry. Gemma and Kieran are a couple who needed money to sort bills, so they rented their spare room out to Ray. It’s all good until they both fall in love with her and she with them. This show explores polyamory with no form of judgement, and it’s funny, clumsy, authentic, and well-rounded characters. BBC did a madness with this series, and if I had to rate it, I’d give it an 11/10. 

    Dickinson

    Again with the trope of rewriting history, ‌you can’t even complain about it. Dickinson is a historical comedy-drama based on Emily Dickinson, the famous poet who’s in love with her best friend/sister-in-law Sue. You can’t watch Emily talk about her poetry and not fall in love with her passionate personality. You might not finish this one in one weekend, but it’s too good to not be on this list. 

    Dead End: Paranormal Park

     Dead End: Paranormal Park is about a trans boy and his friends working at a haunted theme park full of the most foolish demons. It’s a sweet coming-of-age trans story about a boy dealing with a family who doesn’t support him but finds friends who love him for who he is and romantic love. The show might have taken fighting demons literally, but I love it and why you will too. 

    Feel Good

    Feel Good is like a long stand-up comedy, except sometimes you’re not laughing, sometimes you’re triggered, and sometimes you’re sad. Mae and Geroge might not be in a complicated relationship, but their individual lives complicate things for them. This series shows that sometimes queer relationships aren’t sweet and overly romanticised. The most significant turning point is Mae and Geroge learning to hold space for each other during all that, which makes Feel Good at least a 9/10 for me.  

    Heartstopper

    There’s no love story as soft as  Heartstopper, and I love that younger queer kids get to experience this. What happens when the school jock falls in love with the openly gay boy? Well, that’s Charlie and Nick’s awkward but beautiful schoolboy romance. The best thing about this series is exploring the queer joy and accepting one’s authentic self. While not avoiding homophobia and bullying, it doesn’t dwell on it either. Beware, his show will have you giggling like a 15-year-old. 

    First Kill

    First Kill hits the spot for people like me who love to read the cheesiest, low-key senseless lesbian paranormal books. This movie is Shakespeare meets Twilight and is written around Juliette and Calliope’s complicated love story of a vampire falling in love with a vampire hunter. It has all the tropes that make the series predictable, but that’s the appeal. Don’t go in expecting to have deep thoughts; it’ll end in tears. But, be ready to laugh, cry, and stan because you know it’s good when something is so bad, it’s good? That’s First Kill. 

    READ ALSO: These 7 Animated Shows Have the Coolest LGBTQ Representation

    Malakai Bassey

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  • 5 Queer Nigerians’ Thoughts on Celebrating Pride Month

    June is the month when the Queer community gets to celebrate the joy of their existence worldwide. From marches to pride parades, balls, e.t.c, it’s a celebration of the lives of people existing loudly and proudly as their most authentic selves. We spoke to these five Nigerians about what celebrating pride month in Nigeria meant to them.

    Lu (they/them)

    I think of pride month as independence day for LGBTQ+ people. They’re free to express themselves, marry, and live a life free from danger. But since it doesn’t apply to me here in Nigeria, I decided to look at it as me celebrating coming to terms with my sexual orientation and gender identity. I struggled with it, so pride month is my independence. 

    I celebrated by watching LGBTQ+ series, mostly animated, because they’re more authentic. Most non-animated series/movies gave off “let’s just add LGBTQ+ characters so it won’t look like we’re bigots” and the characters barely have personalities outside their identity. 

    I wish I’d gone to the parties and events people hosted and attended a pride parade or drag show. But I’m an introvert and still live with my mom.

    RELATED: These 7 Animated Shows Have the Coolest LGBTQ Representation

    Temi  (he/they)

    To me, Pride is a celebration. It’s happiness despite everything happening — holding onto your community, checking up on each other. Having a month means something about me, my identity and my community. It makes me so happy. 

    I celebrated by publishing queer love letters throughout the month. Every one of those letters brought me immense joy. I had a pride picnic with queer people in my school, which was the highlight of my entire month. I also read queer books at home. 

    I would have loved to attend the queer parties and events, but I can’t come out at night, as I live with my parents. I’m bitter about that and blame this useless government for not ending the strike so I could celebrate pride properly with my friends. If everything had gone to plan, I might have attended several pride parties this year, gotten a new partner, and enjoyed my life.

    Muna (they/she) 

    Pride month for me is just a time to hang out with my queer friends and family. It’s very wholesome, I feel seen, and I don’t have to pretend I’m heterosexual. I don’t get to be in spaces like this often, so it’s always amazing. I celebrated Pride Month by going to random queer spaces looking like my gayest self — places that make me happy, and I didn’t have to bond over trauma.

    Clover (she/her) 

    Pride Month celebrates how far we’ve come as a community. Even though I can’t openly celebrate because of the homophobia, I post about queer history and culture worldwide on my Whatsapp status. If I could, I’d march the streets wearing all kinds of rainbow merch. One day, one day. 

    Fidel (he/him)

    For me, pride month is the one time in my life when I find myself rid of fear. There’s something about seeing myself among queer people happy and celebrating that makes me feel like life is worth something.

    I spent this month attending as many events as possible, sitting with my chosen family, watching movies and documentaries, and having dinner. I used to think I hated going out, but I don’t. I just needed to be in the presence of people to whom I didn’t have to explain myself.

    I know we’re not where many countries are regarding the rights of LGBTQ+ people, but seeing people in other countries celebrate gives me hope that one day that could be us. 

    ALSO READ: 9 Ways to Support Your Queer Friend During Pride Month

    Malakai Bassey

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  • These 7 Animated Shows Have the Coolest LGBTQ Representation

    There are many animated TV shows with LGBTQ representation these days. But these seven shows make a bold statement. They explicitly say, “This character is gay and you’ll be fine”. They get it right in LGBTQ representation. Here’s why: 

    The Owl House

    The Owl House gave us Disney’s first openly bisexual character, Luz, who dated a girl after finding herself in a world full of magic. Even though the series was cancelled after three seasons, it did well with LGBTQ representation with characters like Rain, an older nonbinary character. The Owl House also had a great storyline and a fun animation style, so we were sad to see it end soon. It had a short ride, but this series gets a 10 because there’s no character as cute as King, and it’s a fan favourite. 

    RELATED: You’re a Dead Guy if You Didn’t Watch These 10 Animated Films Growing Up

    Steven Universe

    Steven Universe is great, but many things were queer-coded and not as boldly stated as shows today. Still, we can’t talk about LGBTQ reps in shows without giving them credit for the part they played normalising sapphics kissing and getting married. The show gave us the first animated lesbian marriage, a nonbinary intersex character Stevonnie and arguably the most nontoxic masculine main character in TV history. For its part in paving the way for more queer shows, Steven Universe gets a 9/10 because it’s just that bitch, and we will never get over it. 

    Dead End: Paranormal Park

    From the start, this show said, “I’m going to give you a queer character and you will love him like you’ve known him forever.” The series is barely six days old but is already a fave because it stars a trans character that is relatable. Not only is he trans, but his love interest is also a man. Who else is doing it like them, show of hands?

    They’ve given us binder struggles, funny-as-hell demons, and one of the show’s most badass villains is voiced by Mj Rodriguez from Pose. 

    RELATED: Did You Know These Animated Films Were Made by Nigerians?

    She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

    Lesbians, bisexuals, nonbinary/trans folk and gay couples. This show had us well fed. There was no coming out, no homophobia. It was all treated as naturally as it should be. I’m Jealous but also so happy for the younger queer audience that gets to experience this. The show was the wildest, most complicated lesbian love story I’ve ever seen, and the best part was that it had a happy ending. She-Ra was amazing but I rate it 7/10 for making their nonbinary character a lizard. 

    Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

    The only thing better than a show that teaches kids about the power of love and friendship is a show that isn’t afraid to use the word “gay”. This show gave us the softest men-loving men (MLM) relationship with Troy and Benson. My favourite part was that even in the face of an apocalyptic world full of talking animals, queerness was normalised. This show is vibrant, from the soundtrack to the animation style and colour, so it gets a solid 8/10. 

    The Legend of Korra

    Korra gave us bisexual representation, and that is why it’s on this goated list. Korra is the sequel to Avatar, the Last Airbender that we didn’t know we needed, and anyone that hates it is just bad vibes. What’s not to love about a badass avatar that goes through so much and becomes stronger each time. And then her love story? Korrasami walked so every other queer ship could run. For that, it gets a 9/10 for us. 

    Craig of the Creek

    First of all, Craig of the Creek is an animated show focused on a black kid with several black characters just doing child-like things like exploring the creek in their hometown and making fun memories with their active imagination. Most importantly, the show gave us a  range of recurring LGBTQ+ characters. This includes a sapphic couple, a nonbinary character voiced by a nonbinary actor and one of the main characters who’s a lesbian. It’s raining 10s, people.

    RELATED: Every Queer Group Chat Has One of These 9 People

    Malakai Bassey

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  • The Lesbian Dating Experience: Expectations vs. Reality

    As a lesbian navigating the complicated experience that is queer dating in Nigeria, if you go into it with expectations based on what you see in any form of media you consume, it will end in tears. But, because we care about you, here are the realities of dating as a lesbian.

    1. Double wardrobe, more fun outfits to try

    Expectations: You guys will love each other’s sense of style and wear each other’s clothes, especially if you live together.

    Reality: One of you will have fewer clothes before the relationship ends. Also, you’ll likely find her sleeping in your T-shirt you only wear on special occasions or stealing your socks. Be prepared for annoying behaviour.

    2. She’ll move in with you and it will be fun

    Expectations: You’ll adopt or buy a cat, make breakfast for each other and will barely fight or argue.

    Reality: Like every normal human being, you’ll argue sometimes. Being a lesbian doesn’t cancel our arguments. Sharing a pet is hard, especially if you guys break up. Also, living with someone — a lover or not — can be exhausting. Maybe don’t do that?

    3. Her friends will become your friends

    Expectation: if her friend group is exclusively queer, they’d all automatically be friends with you.

    Reality: They probably won’t even like you, but who knows why? Especially if one of them has had a crush on her for a while. Good luck. Be friendly, but always remember that they are her friends first. 

    4. Your partner will care for you when you get your period

    Expectation: when you get your period, your partner will pamper you and make you tea and give you belly rubs.

    Reality: your partner may want to do all that but your periods will probably sync up, so now the both of you will cry together. Good luck.

    5. Unlimited orgasms 

    Expectations: You’ll orgasm 24 times in 24 hours every day of the week.

    Reality: you and your partner are not rabbits, please. And even God rested on the seventh day. Don’t you have work? Do you want to die? If you get 24 orgasms in one day from one person, report the person to the police for attempted murder. 

    6. They know how to treat women because they are women

    Expectation: your partner will reply to all your texts, be able to read your mind, be overly romantic.

    Reality: it’s not a packed deal that comes with being a lesbian. They can be assholes, too. Being a woman doesn’t make you an expert on women’s affairs. 

    [newsletter]

    Malakai Bassey

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