What up y'all? It's Pride Month and I've never been prouder to be a genderqueer bi demisexual Black-Asian person. There's a lot of creative stuff that queer and trans people of color have done in the past year. Let's celebrate some of my favorite queer and trans people of color and their projects.
Chemistry: A T4T Dating Show
I don't usually watch dating shows, but my curiosity was piqued when I saw Chemistry pop up in my YouTube recs. In a time when trans folks are being attacked on multiple fronts, a web series where Black trans folks court each other delivers much needed joy and love. Created by CF Studios, this show features a variety of Black trans people as they test various levels of intimacy to find someone worth dating. The first episode alone has sweet and hilarious interactions involving gifts, consent, and discussion of personal goals.
S.I.R. by Fell Hound, Elenora Bruni, Freddie Tanto, Becca Carey
The short description of this Boom! Studios comic: Asian lesbians motorcycle jousting. The long description: After being separated, Avery Sakai attends Brideham Academy in order to reunite with Nico Xing. When Avery learns of Nico's involvement in the underground motorcycle jousting club known as Seismic Ironclash Roulette, she'll have to fight her way through its members to free Nico from the this society's cruel underbelly.
Durand Bernarr
I first discovered Durand Bernarr's soulful, soaring vocals through his 2023 Tiny Desk concert. His vocals reminded me so much of Prince, the way he seamlessly sang multiple genres such as funk, R&B, and rock in a 20 minute set. However, what really sold me on his music was the sincerity of his lyrics as he discusses topics ranging from personal boundaries to mental health to relationships.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
Created by the game developers Soft Not Weak, Spirit Swap is a gorgeous and magical match-3 game. It was released last year on Steam, but it also made a surprise drop onto Nintendo Switch in late May. In this game, you play as a queer witch named Samar as you go around town visiting attractive, queer friends while solving the mystery of the major surge in spirit blocks. During Part 2 of the story mode, you also have the option of deepening Samar's relationships platonically or romantically.
A unique feature of this game is that you gain spells from your besties that help you clear blocks in a variety of ways. Moreover, you can change the speed of the rising of the blocks to be slower or faster based on how you want to play. On its lowest speed, "Chill", combined with its single player arcade mode known as "Endless Mode", the game becomes relaxing as you match blocks to its soothing lo-fi soundtrack.
Girls Like Girls
Inspired by the hit song and book by pop singer Hayley Kiyoko, this sapphic coming-of-age film features her as a director and writer. It also stars Maya Da Costa, Myra Molloy, Levon Hawke, and Zach Braff. It tells the story of a 17-year-old girl named Coley who experiences sparks with a girl named Sonya, but self-doubt threatens to stifle their budding feelings. Meanwhile, Sonya, who has never dated a girl before, must also come to terms with a newfound attraction despite currently dating a boy.
Releasing on June 19, this film is one I hope to watch — because to date, I have never seen a movie about lesbians in theaters before. Moreover, I remember when the original "Girls Like Girls" music video was released back in 2015, back when I was just starting to embrace my queerness. It felt like an affirmation to see a music video about a girl literally fighting a boy over another girl. Now, a new generation can appreciate the song anew in a longer format.
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