A Gay Year In Review

The 'Best of 2023' Awards

This is the Sunday Edition of Paging Dr. Lesbian. If you like this type of thing, subscribe, and share it with your friends. Upgrade your subscription for more, including weekly dispatches from the lesbian internet, monthly playlists, and a free sticker. Give a gift subscription for the holidays. This post is too long for email, so read on-site or in the app.

An image of me compiling this newsletter.

We’ve nearly made it to the end of 2023. Cheers! For my last post of the year, here’s a recap of all the lesbian and queer pop culture moments that made an impact in the last 12 months. If you missed out on some of the hot topics discussed below, you might want to consider signing up for a paid subscription to this newsletter, which will get you weekly dispatches on lesbian news. I still have a holiday sale going on.

Also, another reminder: my first Sunday Edition in January will be an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where I will answer any questions you’re dying to ask me. You can anonymously ask a question here, or comment below. See you in 2024!

Best queer movies

Bottoms took the world by storm with its raunchy lesbian humor. Joy Ride also had plenty of raunch and a non-binary character though it could have been gayer. (I laughed out loud at least three times watching this, which is huge for me.) How to Blow Up a Pipeline was the radical queer story we need right now. Blue Jean dove into the oppressive forces of Thatcherism. May December was a dark story with a queer sensibility.

Passages introduced us to a chaotic bisexual on a mission to terrorize everyone around him. Of An Age was a whirlwind gay romance a lá Weekend and Moonlight. Anatomy of a Fall put a bisexual woman on trial and included the best dog acting of the year. NYAD was a rousing lesbian sports movie that gave the one and only Jodie Foster a chance to shine (in a gay way). Trace Lysette dazzled in Monica, a quiet story of a mother and daughter reuniting. Scream VI poked fun at cinephiles and added lesbians.

On documentaries: All The Beauty and the Bloodshed told a story about how to live in community with others and always fight for a better, more true world. Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate shined a light on the vibrant queer community of Weimar Berlin before the rise of the Nazis. Nelly & Nadine unearthed a lesbian love story that began in a concentration camp and survived impossible odds.

Franz Rogowski and Adèle Exarchopoulos in Passages.

Best queer TV shows

Harley Quinn gave us another great season (and a very R-rated Valentine’s Day special). Harley and Ivy remain one of the greatest lesbian couples on TV right now. The second season of Bridget Everett’s wonderful series Somebody Somewhere stuck the landing. Put these midwestern queers on your TV screens immediately! The Last of Us was a rollercoaster of emotions and gave us a glimpse at Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) tragic first love. Heartstopper continued to be gay and sweet and featured a lesbian Taylor Swift montage.

Las pelotaris 1926 introduced us to gutsy Spanish lesbians in the ‘20s and their sporting prowess. Sin huellas was a story about the evils of capitalism and a pair of lesbian exes getting back together. Deadloch was the kookiest lesbian show of the year. If you like weirdo dykes, Australian humor, and whimsical murder mysteries, watch this. Perry Mason was the most tragic cancelation of 2023. The 1930s lesbians in Season 2 were showstopping, beautiful, powerful, never-been-seen-before, etc. A Murder at the End of the World (which is still airing) features Emma Corrin as a queer hacker and is a very cool take on AI and true crime. An honorable mention goes to Silo, which was not especially queer but did feature Rebecca Ferguson fighting The Man with her very strong arms.

Juliet Rylance and Jen Tullock in Perry Mason.

Best gay anthems

“Red Wine Supernova” by Chappel Roan, queen of the chaotic BabyGirls. “Strong Enough” by boygenius, which topped the year-end lists of sad lesbians everywhere. “Francesca” by Hozier, because we all know sapphics are his primary fanbase (and this song is especially filled with longing). “Lipstick Lover” by Janelle Monáe, which gave us the sexiest music video of the year. “One That Got Away” by MUNA, because it finally made us stop listening to “Kind of Girl” on repeat. “Slime” by Marika Hackman, for the Joan of Arc lesbians. “Sunshine Baby” by Japanese House, for melancholic girls trying to have a good time. “Collect” by Torres, for queers who like electric guitars and not washing their hair.

Tag yourself.

Best lesbian and queer books

Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns. Gay Taxi Driver with a strong anti-capitalist bent. Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis. One of the strangest + funniest books I’ve ever read in my life – trainwreck neurotic lesbians who you can’t look away from. Wild Things by Laura Kay. For people who appreciate wholesome queers and dream of living on a commune. Mrs. S by K. Patrick. The sexiest book of the year! All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews. A book about queer folks trying to survive under capitalism and working towards mutual aid + community.

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler, in which the author explores how gay the ocean is. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake. The final book in the Bright Falls series; a near-perfect use of the fake-dating trope. Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. An adorable soccer romance filled with well-deployed tropes. The Fifth Wound by Aurora Mattia, whose take on gender and (dis)embodiment is like nothing else you’ve ever read. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. If nothing else, you should read this before the Jodi Comer series comes out, but I also happen to love that this book goes full weirdo.

Best IRL LGBTs

Those speaking truth to power: Nan Goldin, who severed ties with the NY Times and joined the movement for a Free Palestine. Susan Sarandon, whose agency dropped her for speaking in support of Gaza. Drag queen Brigitte Bandit, who testified in front of the Senate to oppose anti-drag bills in Texas. (I interviewed her earlier this year.) Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso, who refused to keep quiet in the face of institutional power.

Brandi Carlile, who was named Out Magazine’s Icon of the Year and won three Grammys. Rich fashion lesbian Jenna Lyons, who agreed to be on The Real Housewives of New York and then refused to participate in the drama. Kristien Kish, who will be the new host of Top Chef following Padma Lakshmi’s departure. Yellowjackets star Liv Hewson, who called out the Emmys for their gendered categories and did a great photoshoot in Teen Vogue. Miriam Margolyes, who got naked in Vogue and continues to be the funniest lesbian alive. Ariana DeBose, who unintentionally gave us one of the best memes of the year. All of the passengers on the lesbian party bus charted by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne.

The lesbian spectrum.

Best IRL lesbian couples

Soccer players Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis got engaged. USWNT besties Tobin Heath and Christen Press held pinkies on the red carpet. Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols held hands (from really far away) on a different red carpet. GMA host Robin Roberts and Amber Laign got married. Beanie Feldstein and Bonnie Chance also got hitched, and so did G Flip and Chrishell Stause. Our perennial faves Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor continued to be cute; Holland pulled Sarah around by her enormous zipper, Sarah wished Holland a happy birthday in an effusive Instagram post.

Best lesbian drama

Shannon Beveridge and Becky Missal broke up, Fletcher released a new song about how she ran into Shannon at a Taylor Swift concert earlier this year. USWNT stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger got divorced, we learned that Ashlyn was dating Sophia Bush, cheating rumors ensued. boygenius members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker started dating. All of Lucy’s girls cried. Billie Eilish ‘came out’ and then claimed she was outed. Kyle Richards starred in country singer Morgan Wade’s music video after fans speculated they were dating. The speculation continues.

See you next year!