HBO Max might be one of the newer streaming services, launched in 2020, but that doesn't mean it's lacking in LGBTQ+ content. In fact, HBO Max has made it clear that they are serious about creating LGBTQ+ stories with LGBTQ+ creators backing them. With the HBO catalog attached to the streaming service, there are a plethora of titles to choose from on HBO Max, but the streaming service really strives for its original content.
Since June is Pride month, there's no better time to explore HBO Max's LGBTQ+ content than now. It's also easier than ever since the interphase currently features an LGBTQ+ Voices collection tab on the search page. The best part is the catalog features everything from teen LGBTQ+ shows to dramas, comedies, and everything in between.
Betty (2020-2021)
Betty was adapted into a television series after the success of creator Crystal Moselle's teen drama movie Skate Kitchen. The characters reprised their roles for the series which centers on a tight-knit all-girls skateboarding group. Together, the girls stick together while trying to make name for themselves in the male-dominated sport.
Like all sports shows, Betty isn't just about skateboarding, it's about the girls' lives including their complicated feelings for crushes and significant others. Some fans have even picked up on possible transgender representation undertones in regards to Camille, who is constantly torn between skating with the girls or skating with the boy crew who seems to accept her (via Autostraddle).
Euphoria (2019-)
While not an HBO Max original, Euphoria does air on the streaming service while also airing on HBO's cable channel. Based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name, Euphoria centers on the messy life of 17-year-old Rue, a teenager struggling with drug addiction who has just gotten out of rehab in the first season.
Euphoria is known for its flashy sequences and over-the-top drama but within all, that fanfare is some great and not-so-great LGBTQ+ storylines. Season 2 took the brunt of the criticism, especially in regards to Cal and Nate Jacob's "homophobic homosexual" trope which did nothing to make Nate a hero. While the show might not always be great for positive LGBTQ+ representation, sometimes all fans want is a dramatic, gritty, soap opera-y type show which is what Euphoria is perfect for.
Genera+ion (2021)
HBO Max's Genera+ion felt like an answer to the teen world's lack of soap opera-y dramas like the Candian-based show Degrassi: The Next Generation. Unfortunately, the series never found its footing and was eventually canceled after one season.
The teen ensemble show centered on various California teens as they explored their sexuality and identities in high school. Several of the Genera+ion characters were LGBTQ+ teens who all navigated their sexuality in different ways. Chester is loud and proud about his sexuality whereas Greta tended to hide in the shadows.
Mrs. Fletcher (2019)
It isn't often that TV audiences get to see adults explore their sexuality in the same ways that teenage characters have started to. Luckily, HBO's Mrs. Fletcher offers the perfect storyline to do just that. The miniseries centers on Mrs. Eve Fletcher, a recently divorced woman who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis now that her son is away at college.
In addition to Eve's sexual awakening, the series also features a transgender teacher, Margo, who is going through her own mid-life crisis of sorts. The series is proof that it's never too late to figure out one's sexuality.
It's A Sin (2021)
It's A Sin had been in the mind of its creator Russell T. Davies for over two decades but it wasn't until recently that the story actually hit the small screen. The limited drama series takes place in London in 1981 and centers on three men who leave home at 18. As the three men explore adulthood and their sexualities, the world around them begins to change as the AIDS epidemic grows.
Like most of Davies's It's A Sin provides an authentic take on the LGBTQ+ experience but this is the only show that dives deep into the AIDS epidemic that gravely affected the LGBTQ+ community. While emotional at times, It's A Sin is a powerful and important LGBTQ+ show that should be watched.
Our Flag Means Death (2022-)
Our Flag Means Death sticks its middle finger up to people who believe that pirates and the LGBTQ+ community have nothing in common. The period, romantic comedy takes place in during the Golden Age of piracy and follows the misadventures of Stede Bonnet, an aristocrat turned pirate, and his ragtag crew who are trying to make a name for themselves as pirates.
While Our Flag Means Death is hilarious at its core, it also offers one of the best LGBTQ+ couples in the world of period television. Unlike some shows that queerbait audiences, Our Flag Means Death commits to the same-sex relationship between Stede and Edward Teach. In fact, they're undoubtedly one of the best couples in Our Flag Means Death.
Search Party (2016-2022)
Set in New York City, the first season of Search Party follows a group of friends who a search party after a young woman goes missing. Their own lives begin to bleed into their search efforts which causes problems that have ramifications for the following seasons. While the show aired its first two seasons on TBS, it later moved to HBO Max for its final three seasons.
During the early seasons, the primary LGBTQ+ representation comes from Elliot, but the move to HBO Max leads to several other characters exploring their sexualities, especially in the final season which has been deemed the "gayest season ever" by some fans largely because of Dory's character arc (per Autostraddle).
The Other Two (2019-)
The Other Two is a comedy series that was created by two Saturday Night Live alumni that originally aired on Comedy Central before becoming an HBO Max original in its second season. The series follows Cary and Brooke, twin siblings who are grabbing with their 13-year-old brothers overnight internet fame after he released a song about Cary being gay.
The rising fame is especially hard for Cary, a struggling gay actor, who can't seem to catch his big break which is only made harder thanks to his younger brother. The series has been praised for its depictions of Cary and his character's ability to poke fun at Hollywood's lack of understanding of what true LGBTQ+ representation looks like.
The Sex Lives Of College Girls (2021-)
The Sex Lives of College Girls. The show centers on four college freshmen who come from different walks of life. Together the four roommates navigate the highs and lows of college while embracing their sexuality.
One of the more important narratives in The Sex Lives of College Girls revolves around Leighton, the wealthy put-together roommate who is also hiding the fact that she is a lesbian. Through Leighton, the series explores a character who accepts her sexuality but doesn't want it to define her. It's an important and interesting storyline that is hardly ever explored in media.
Veneno (2020)
Veneno is a Spanish biographical limited series that HBO Max acquired the rights to and began airing in November 2020. The series centers on Spanish transgender singer and TV personality Cristina Oritz Rodriguez and tracks her rise to fame in the 1960s to the legacy she left behind in the present day.
The miniseries tells a very important and yet unknown story about a successful transgender singer which is powerful on its own. Adding to the draw of Veneno is the fact that the creators cast three transgender actresses to portray Cristina Ortiz Rodriquez during various stages in her life.