Sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
Images: Netflix; Showtime; Apple TV+
While we love to see our queer history and real-life issues reflected on screens big and small, we definitely have room for queer desire, romance, and love stories, too.
We spent all of 2023 fighting against the problematic forces who are trying to erase our rights, our relationships, and even our existence. Generally speaking, it felt like we couldn’t afford to be too hopeful, too romantic, or too emotional. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t entitled to explore ourselves, have fun, and perhaps even find love.
As the year comes to an end and we sprinkle a little bit of the holiday spirit within us, ‘tis the season to review the kisses that melted our queer hearts in film and television.
Scroll through to the LGBTQ+ kisses from movies and TV shows that melted our hearts in 2023.
Bill & Frank — ‘The Last of Us’ Season 1
Image: HBO
Episode three, “Long, Long Time,” was the first moment on The Last of Us season one that made us realize how much LGBTQ+ representation this live-action adaptation was going to feature. Simply put, the heartwarming – and heartbreaking – love story between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) gave us one of the best episodes in television history and left a huge mark in queer storytelling for years to come.
Ellie & Riley — ‘The Last of Us’ Season 1
Image: HBO
It really doesn’t get any cuter than Ellie (Bella Ramsey) getting to experience her first kiss with someone she already considered a close friend, Riley (Storm Reid). This is The Last of Us, of course, so it’s hard to expect happy endings for some of our favorite characters. But we get to celebrate the pockets of happiness in these people’s lives, and we really loved to see Ellie and Riley sharing such a sweet moment.
Adam & Harry — ‘All of Us Strangers’
Image: Searchlight Pictures
There’s a reason All of Us Strangers are getting rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The chemistry between Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal) can be hard to pull off, but these actors’ performances – with the help of writer-director Andrew Haigh – gave us one of the most delicate and gorgeous love stories we’ve seen in the last few years. This on-screen couple has already entered the queer cinema canon, that’s for sure.
Elle & Tao — ‘Heartstopper’ Season 2
Image: Netflix
For Elle (Yasmin Finney), a good portion of Heartstopper season one was spent on the fact that she was trans and had to transfer from one school to another. But Elle walked into season two with a lot more confidence and many more aspirations… leaving it up to Tao (William Gao) to finally make a move and cross the line that would turn their friendship into a real relationship. It was a blast to see Elle and Tao finally become a couple in the second season of Heartstopper, and we’re dying to see what’s next for them in season three.
Nick & Charlie — ‘Heartstopper’ Season 2
Image: Netflix
Even though Charlie (Joe Locke) still had to deal with his past trauma, Heartstopper season two added a lot of depth to his relationship with Nick (Kit Connor) – not only as a romantic couple, but as partners who look out for each other, respect each other’s boundaries, and fight for their love story. As a coming-of-age series, the intimate scenes between Charlie and Nick are slowly and sweetly progressing, step by step, with each new episode and season of Heartstopper. No rush!
Mabel & Honoria — ‘The Buccaneers’ Season 1
Image: Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers has a pretty large ensemble of characters, but queer viewers have been keeping their eyes on Honoria Marable (Mia Threapleton) and Mabel Elmsworth (Josie Totah) at all times. The romance between these two characters was already set up in season one, and they even got to share a cinematic kiss in the rain. We are LOVING this energy, and can’t wait for what’s to come on The Buccaneers season two.
Young Jake & Young Silva — ‘Strange Way of Life’
Image: Sony Pictures Classics
Silva (Pedro Pascal) remains the internet’s reigning daddy: check. Jake (Ethan Hawke) can very much still get it: check. But it’s hard to deny that the most iconic kiss in Strange Way of Life actually took place between young Jake (Jason Fernández) and young Silva (José Condessa) as they found themselves with a group of girls, poking a hole at a wine barrel to drink from it, and ended up kissing each other while completely ignoring their companions. We’re not sure if this steamy, wet, raw kissing scene made our hearts melt, but we were definitely feeling some feels. And you know exactly what we mean!
Hawkins & Tim — ‘Fellow Travelers’
Image: Showtime
The daddy-and-boy queer dynamic between Hawkins (Matt Bomer) and Tim (Jonathan Bailey) was sexy, raunchy, and more realistic than anything we had ever seen before on TV. But it’s not fair to remember Fellow Travelers for just the steamy scenes, the political intrigue, and the way everything ended. There were tons of incredibly sweet and heart-melting moments between these two hard-headed heartthrobs, and we loved watching it all.
PJ & Hazel — ‘Bottoms’
Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
The whole premise of Bottoms is about PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) trying to get with the popular girls in their high school. They go to wild, wild lengths to pursue their love interests… like, literally to the point of creating an all-female, Fight Club-style club with the promise of teaching self-defense lessons. We loved how hilarious and unhinged Bottoms was, but the actual kiss that completely melted our hearts was when PJ kissed Hazel (Ruby Cruz) to distract the audience during the climactic football game scene. Queers loving queers, that’s what it’s all about.
Alex & Prince Henry — ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’
Image: Prime Video
Fans who had read Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue novel already knew that the world was bound to fall in love with Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) as soon as the live-action film was released. And that’s literally what happened! The love story between the First Son of the United States and a British Prince makes for an irresistible LGBTQ+ rom-com… and just like that, we now have super-stans of the Red, White & Royal Blue movie demanding a sequel. Sign us up!
Kelvin & Ramiro — ‘Terra e Paixão’
Image: Globo
In 2023, Globo’s primetime Brazilian soap opera Terra e Paixão broke boundaries by introducing two queer characters that went on to become huge fan-favorites among the public: Kelvin (Diego Martins) and Ramiro (Amaury Lorenzo). Brazilian television is still very behind in terms of LGBTQ+ representation, but the adorable on-screen relationship between Kelvin and Ramiro has been a huge leap forward for queer storytelling in Latin America.
