Ten Fab Queer Media Recommendations to Consume this Pride Month
- Words by Peppermint
words BONNIE LISTON
In the landmark 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet, Harvey Fierstein says, “There are lots of needs for art and the greatest one is the mirror of our own lives and our own existence. And that hunger that I felt as a kid, looking for gay images, was to not be alone.”
He also says, “All the reading I was given to do in school was always heterosexual, every movie I saw was heterosexual, and I had to do this translation. I had to translate it to my life rather than seeing my life. Which is why when people say to me, ‘Your work is not really gay work, it’s universal.’ And I say, ‘Up yours. It’s gay. And that you can take it, and translate it to your own life is very nice, but at last I don’t have to do the translating. You do.’”
Art has a great power to be a mirror, comforting and connecting us to others like us, but equally important is its power as a door, showing us experiences and perspectives different from our own and perhaps teaching us they’re not so hard to relate to as we may assume.
This Pride Month, whether you’re longing to be seen or looking to see a new side to things, we’ve put together a small collection of queer media from films and television to must-watch documentaries.
OF AN AGE (2022)
The second feature film from indie Australian-Macedonian filmmaker Goran Stolevski, Of An Age, is a captivating evocation of first love set in the summer of 1999. Kol, a young Serbian immigrant and amateur ballroom dancer experiences an unexpected and intense 24-hour romance with his best friend and ballroom partner’s older brother Adam. Think Strictly Ballroom meets Call Me By Your Name meets Muriel’s Wedding meets Son of Sin. Now that’s a love affair!
Stream it on Youtube, Apple TV or Amazon Prime!
PRIDE (2014)
In this heartwarming, historical tale (based on real events), an unlikely coalition is formed between LGBTQIA+ activists in London and striking Welsh coal miners as they realise what truly unites them – hating Margaret Thatcher. With a cracker cast of beloved British character actors, the film poignantly touches on the importance of community, solidarity, connection and the power of a union.
READ MORE: Our Favourite Childhood Environmentally Minded Media
FIRE ISLAND (2022)
This fun and funny film is a brilliant modern re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice set during a week at the titular gay holiday hotspot. Writer and co-lead Joel Kim Booster brings Jane Austen’s incisive and insightful eye to examining class and race within the gay community. It’s a refreshing rom-com with depth to its diversity and an honest approach to depicting gay friendship, romance and joy. Plus they keep giving their Mr Darcy tiny ice cream cones which is very cute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh9ed_LeBr8
SHIVA BABY (2020)
Representation for the messy, disaster bisexuals, Emma Seligman’s dazzling debut is an intense, claustrophobic comedy of manners (bordering on horror of manners, if such a genre exists) wherein a young woman struggles to keep up with different versions of herself when she runs into her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend while at a shiva with her parents for a family friend whose name she doesn’t even know. Often hard to watch but always impossible to look away from.
Stream it on Binge or Foxtel Now!
FEEL GOOD (2020)
A semi-autobiographical British dramedy from Mae Martin, Feel Good follows fictional stand-up comedian uh… Mae Martin as they navigate a new relationship with their girlfriend – a repressed, middle-class English woman named George – while dealing with the challenges of their addictive behaviour and sobriety. Series two explores Mae’s non-binary identity with incredible intimacy as Mae (the real one) came out between seasons and worked through their own experiences by creating some top-notch TV.
READ MORE: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful: Must-Watch Ocean Documentaries
IT’S A SIN (2021)
Russell T Davies deserves some kind of award for his significant contribution to making television gayer (Queer as Folk, Cucumber, Banana, Tofu, A Very English Scandal, Doctor Who – thank you for making Doctor Who gay) including It’s A Sin – a drama miniseries which focuses on a group of young gay men who move to London in 1981 as their lives are irrevocably changed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Joyful yet devastating, the show follows a decade of their lives as they determinedly live and love despite the threat hanging over their heads.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (2022)
An adaptation of the 1992 classic that takes its rich queer subtext and turns it into gloriously explicit text, this show is about women; all kinds of women and all the kinds of relationships they can have with each other – friends, sisters, mothers, teammates, lovers… The passion project of Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson, it explores gender, sexuality and race in ‘good ol’ apple pie times’ America.
THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995)
You thought we were going to name-drop it up top and then not recommend it? It’s a landmark documentary! Based on Vito Russo’s 1981 book of the same name, The Celluloid Closet highlights the historical contexts that LBGTQIA+ people have occupied in cinema history, and shows the evolution of the entertainment industry’s role in shaping perceptions of LBGTQIA+ figures (up to the 90s at least). Fascinating and wryly good-humoured, it’s a must-see for fans of queer film, which if you clicked on this listicle…
PARIS IS BURNING (1990)
Speaking of seminal classics, Jennie Livingston’s documentary Paris is Burning is the definitive record of golden-age New York City ballroom culture – the foundation upon which Ru Paul’s drag empire, and accordingly many straight people’s understanding of homosexuality, is built. It is a rare and precious time capsule capturing the experiences of Black, Latine, queer and trans people being defiantly fabulous in the face of marginalisation, violence and the AIDS crisis, with thoughtful exploration of gender, sexuality, race and class, as well as dazzling drag performances, sizzling shade and vicious voguing.
MIRIAM MARGOLYES: ALMOST AUSTRALIAN (2020)
Celebrated star of stage and screen, self-described “78-year-old fat Jewish lesbian” and newly minted Australian citizen Miriam Margolyes hits the road on an epic 10,000 kilometre, two-month journey across the “lucky country” as she investigates what it means to be Australian. Less overtly about homosexuality than others on this list, however, Miriam is incapable of bringing less than the entire force of her personality and view to every topic which is what makes this such an incredibly entertaining watch.
Stream it on ABC iView or Netflix!
READ MORE: 12 Sustainable Fashion Documentaries You Need to Watch Right Now
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
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“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
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TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
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8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
