The best TV shows and films about girls who like girls to watch this Lesbian Visibility Week

Whether 1800s trailblazers as on Gentleman Jack, or 1950s housewives as per Carol, we’ve gathered some of the best TV shows and LGBTQ movies to explore this Lesbian Visibility Week. 

Indeed, compared to eras past, there has been no shortage of brilliant films and TV shows showcasing incredible lesbian characters in recent years – but there’s always room for more!

But to celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week, taking place from 24-30 April, let’s get into just a few of our favourites.

Gentleman Jack

The historical lesbian drama tells the remarkable story of real-life lesbian Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) – a landowner who is largely credited as the “first modern lesbian”.

The title is actually a reference to the name Lister, which was given during her life by her neighbours, who ridiculed her appearance and sexual preferences – with “Gentleman” referring to her masculine appearance and “Jack” being another word for lesbian in that era.

Viewers see the reality of Lister living as a lesbian in the 1800s, as she tries to navigate a relationship with aristocrat Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), who is definitely not so out and loud.

The show offers a heartfelt and bold look at sexuality, as well as being set in some of the most beautiful locations Yorkshire has to offer. 

Watch Gentleman Jack seasons 1-2 on BBC iPlayer

Tár

In Tár, Cate plays Lydia Tár, a world-famous lesbian composer and orchestra conductor whose power unravels when she’s accused of sexual impropriety.

Lydia’s wife (Nina Hoss) is also a violinist in the orchestra and together they have a child. Their dreamy life however, becomes blanketed by affairs. And stalkers. And emotional manipulation as Cate’s character desperately searches for a path out of the crisis and the light at the end of the tunnel.

In an interview with Attitude earlier this year, she answered how she felt about her status as an LGBTQ+ icon.

“Yeah, baby! [Laughs] That’s so nice!” she said. “I don’t know what it means, but it’s nice. Yeah. Cool. I’ll take it!”

Tár can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Dead Ringers 

If you need a new thriller to add to your list, Dead Ringers certainly delivers on the action.

In her first small screen gig in a decade, Rachel Weisz she plays identical twin gynaecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle. 

Genevieve (Britne Oldford), a patient, enters their lives, and Beverly soon begins a complicated love affair with her. 

Their relationship is an integral part of the series, and one which fans have already praised in droves. 

Watch Dead Ringers in full on Amazon Prime Video.

Carol 

Another mention for our fave, Cate. This also landed an Oscar nomination, for her turn as a closeted gay housewife in 2015’s Carol.

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s groundbreaking novel, we see a love affair develop between an unhappy 1950s housewife named Carol (Cate Blanchett, on Oscar-winning form) and a shopgirl named Therese (Rooney Mara).

With the sublime chemistry between Cate and Rooney’s characters, the romance is irresistible. 

It’s no surprise Carol quickly became a much-loved go-to for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Carol can be streamed on Netflix.

Sex Lives Of College Girls 

Written by ‘The Office’ star Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the HBO series revolves around, you guessed it, a group of college students.

The girlies are doing their best to navigate life, love, hookups, hangovers and humiliating encounters.

But Reneé Rapp is undoubtedly one of the highlights. She plays closeted lesbian Leighton, a freshman and a wealthy legacy student from New York City.

Leighton initially hides her sexuality from her friends and family for most of the first season while she comes to terms with being gay as well as experimenting with her sexuality and building a support system. 

A season 3 has already been given the green light, so we should see more on screens very soon.

Sex Lives Of College Girls can be streamed on ITVX.

The Hours 

Three women of different generations lives’ are interconnected by the 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

The Hours boasts an impressive all-star cast. Nicole Kidman stars as Virginia Woolf. (A role for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress).

Julianne Moore plays ’50s suburban housewife Laura Brown and Meryl Streep as a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway named Clarissa Vaughan.

The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and the film and novel were adapted into an opera with the same name in 2022.

The Color Purple

Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple tells the story of two Black women who become lovers.

The story sees a romance relationship develop between characters Celie and Shug, her husband’s mistress, but Steven Spielberg’s 1985 cinematic adaptation reduces their relationship to one kiss – so we’d perhaps recommend reading the book over watching the (to be fair, otherwise beautiful) movie, in this case.

The acclaimed director has previously spoken out on criticism he received at the time of release.

“There were certain things in the [lesbian] relationship between Shug Avery and Celie that were very finely detailed in Alice’s book, that I didn’t feel we could get a [PG-13] rating,” he said.

“And I was shy about it. In that sense, perhaps I was the wrong director to acquit some of the more sexually honest encounters between Shug and Celie, because I did soften those. I basically took something that was extremely erotic and very intentional, and I reduced it to a simple kiss. I got a lot of criticism for that.”

Everything Everywhere All At Once

This film tells the dramatic story of an Asian-American immigrant, her queer daughter and her sweet husband.

Flitting between comedy, sci-fi, and action with a sweeping emotional grounding, Everything Everywhere All At Once’s sincere queer representation sits with Joy (Hsu).

The young woman wants to introduce her girlfriend to her grandfather (Tallie Medel), who’s arrived for the family’s Chinese New Year party, much to her mother’s dismay.

The absurdist action comedy-drama picked up most of the biggest awards of the night when it came to the Oscars earlier this year, too.

It also topped Attitude’s list of the best LGBTQ+ films of 2022.

A League Of Their Own

Finally, Prime Video’s A League Of Their Own. It was only released last year, but was quickly dubbed “perfect queer TV”.

Based on the 1993 film of the same name, and it tells the story of sportswomen who played for the ‘All-American Girls Professional Baseball League’ during World War Two. 

It focuses on a stand-out lineup of queer, non-binary and trans characters and has quickly become a fan favourite, with a second season currently in the works.

A League Of Their Own can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Lesbian Visibility Week runs all week, from 24-30 April.