LGBT books/movies that don't end in tragedy

[Sam W]

There's a trope that, for a long time, any story that involved a queer person had to also involve that person dying or suffering immensely. In other words, no happy endings allowed. While that trope is still around, we're starting to see more stories where you get to be queer and have a happy ending. Anybody have any favorites in that category?

Mine is "Better Nate Than Ever." It's a middle school level book, but it's a great read. There's also a novel called "Now is the Hour" that made me cry with relief that it ended as happily as it did.

[sexpositivity94]

One of my go-to queer movies is "But I'm a Cheerleader". Campy, funny, strange, super-queer, and with a bonus of a happy ending!

[Lenabean]

"The Way He Looks" is an adorable Brazilian movie about some teenagers who find themselves developing friendships & feelings, which I have watched on Netflix at least twice! I highly recommend it!

[capablehippie]

I read this young adult novel (seeing as I'm a young adult) called "One Man Guy," by Michael Barakiva. It was a super cute little love story about a 14 year old boy exploring his sexuality and having his first boyfriend. There was no tragedy! I actually wonder how realistic the world of the story was, since the gay characters really got no flak at all for their sexuality. Of course that would be the ideal, but I just don't know if it's realistic, even for 2014. Maybe in some places. I think a story like this that mostly discusses the process of discovering one's sexuality and maybe adjusting to it, and treats different sexualities like they're normal is really great to be out there, especially for middle and high schoolers to read. It was an enjoyable read!

[Jacob]

Oooh, I have to check some of these out. (Currently trying to think of ones to recommend and coming short!)

[Catherwren]

Tell me again how a crush should feel is a book about a closeted lesbian Iranian teen in Boston and it doesn't end in death.

[Sunshine]

Certainly not Brokeback Mountain (sniff)... But I love that movie anyway...

Since we're all more or less in need of cheering up these days, though:

GBF: Basically a teen / highschool comedy, but with a twist. And one of my favorite endings ever when it comes to the central relationship.
Breakfast on Pluto: Has really rough scenes in between but a good ending, I promise. Also, great acting.
Pride: A BBC production about the miners' strike during Thatcher's administration and an unlikely alliance with an LGBT group from London. I watch this a lot. Especially now. It's one of my favorite movies of all times and the ending always makes me cry, but in a happy way. (Also, I am a bit on love with Steph...)

[Jacob]

Pride is fantastic!

Speaking on netflix stuff... 'Easy' is a good series mostly about sexuality. I like how it is mostly about people struggling with sexuality in ways that seem to always happen a certain way on tv (like cheating plotlines, or marriages which have lost their sexual component or dishonesty)... none of the stories seem to end in tragedy, they also aren't comfortable super happy endings... they are a genuine mix which is a great change.

[Catherwren]

It hasn't finished, so I don't know if it will end in tragedy, but the doctor who spinoff Class has a gay main character with a boyfriend, and they're really cute. Awesome show

[Bananasplit8]

Not a book or movie, but the podcast Welcome To Night Vale has a gay protagonist with a boyfriend. It's an adorable canon ship, especially because Cecil and Carlos' relationship doesn't drive the plot of the show.
I also recommend WTNV anyways. Check it out, free on iTunes!

[Heather]

Realizing that the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror (also on Netflix) isn't on here, which, IMO, is a freaking revelation in this department.

[Alice O]

some of these are still emotional dramas, but are definitely not overly tragic. in my opinion, they hold a lot of respect for the characters’ humanity & complexity. most are R-rated so not appropriate for all ages! trailers linked below.

52 tuesdays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5WcMzEYRGU

joven y alocada (in spanish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2d9PB1kTQ

life partners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CPg7UJIS5I

blue is the warmest color (in french)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2OLRrocn3s

appropriate behavior (haven’t seen this one yet, but have heard great things!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjZ80dLFFfE

life partners is more light, joven y alocada and appropriate behavior (from what i can tell) are somewhere in the middle, and 52 tuesdays and blue is the warmest color are more intense.

[moonlight]

Great topic Sam!

One of my all time favourite books is The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. It's not super heavy on the queer aspects of the book, but it does have (SPOILERS) two female characters who enter into a relationship, and I particularly enjoy that there's no huge deal made about the fact that the two characters are of the same gender. The bigger deal is about a much bigger difference that I won't spoil. If you loved Firefly, you'll love that this book has the same warm and fuzzy feeling. And there is no horrible tragedy that befalls the couple (so far as I can remember). I've used this book for a queer book club, so I can tell you that an entire (small) book club of people also liked this book.

The sequel is equally awesome, although it follows some characters that were only side characters in the first book. It's called A Closed and Common Orbit. I hesitate to say that this book is LGBT exactly, but I mention it because there is an alien character whose (SPOILERS) species changes sex periodically. This aligns, for this character, with changes in physical appearance, presentation, role within the species, and most importantly perception by others. Pronouns also change. It is still an interesting view, in my opinion, of perceptions of sex and how that influences perceptions of gender, and how that can impact people. Note that this is not the focus of the book.

[Siân]

omg I LOVE Becky Chambers! You've picked out a couple of things I really enjoyed about the books Also, whilst the second book is not focused on an LGBT storyline, I think that the journey of the protagonist is a great exploration of identity, personhood and (self-)acceptance when who you are is not widely accepted. Can't wait for the third!

[bitheway]

Sorry to bring back an older post, but I've just got to give a shout-out to Maurice by E.M. Forster, written in 1914 (!!!) but not actually published 'til '71 because of general societal homophobia. [plot spoilers ahead] Maurice, the main character, ends up happily in a gay relationship with another character, Alec. The author, E.M. Forster (who was also gay, his life story's really interesting as well) wrote, "A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn't have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood."

If you're into classic novels and/or gay books in general, I highly recommend it. (There's a movie as well, though I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.)

[Chloé]

Hey bitheway, it's actually great that you brought this thread back!

And I love that quote from the author. Too often stories end in tragedy when in truth, we could pen the happy endings we seek just as easily. I'm adding Maurice to my to-be-read list.

[Jacob]

Gods own country!

Call me by your name!

[Bessie F.]

I love this topic.

Some of my favorite happy-ending YA queer books: Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli (the movie Love, Simon came out last year, it's pretty great too), Leah on the Offbeat by the same author, The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding and Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan.

I like to use queerbooksforteens.com/find-books/ to find new LGBTQ reads. It's a like a search-software that lets you specify sexual orientation, gender, genre and more to find a book that has it all.

[mothman]

The graphic novel The Prince and the Dressmaker has some struggle with queerness but ends well and is so, so sweet.

[JackHamilton]

Movies (only gay though and few trans,I don't watch lesbian movies cause I'm not a lesbian) : Beautiful Thing,Shelter, Romeos,Free Fall,The Way He Looks,Weekend,North Sea Texas,Tomboy (french movie),Patrick age 1.5

[Gladys]

This Song Is (Not) For You is a good one. It's about the relationships between three teenagers as they form a band and decide on what to do after high school. One is asexual, and at least one of them is poly. Or maybe all three of them are poly? It's been a while since I've read it.

[asunflower]

A graphic memoir I read called Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe has a mostly optimistic ending and a light tone. The illustration is also *chef's kiss.*

In terms of movies, The Handmaiden (2016) is a period drama set in Japan-occupied Korea which is really slickly composed and ends happily for our queer women protagonists. I also like the film adaptation of E.M. Forster's Maurice.

I also recently watched Schitt's Creek on Netflix. Schitt's Creek is a sitcom so it's lighthearted and silly and it features a queer man as a central character who goes onto to have a number of storylines that don't end in tragedy.

[Alexa]

I don't think I saw Booksmart here -- it's SO good and cute!!! And on Hulu!

[springflower]

If anyone is into historical fiction featuring WLW, Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is a fantastic rewriting of a work of classic Victorian sensationalism (the Woman in White). It’s definitely a bit mature, and it includes some heavy themes, but I loved it! Sarah Waters has also written a bunch of other historical queer fiction but I’ve yet to read her other stuff. Fingersmith was also adapted to a BBC miniseries, and a Korean film called The Handmaiden—I’ve heard great things about both adaptations.

[ardenmagdelena]

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, about a queer Puerto Rican teenager from the Bronx who does a summer internship with a writer, is my absolute favorite book in this category. It's political without ever being dogmatic or preachy or absolutist; it's deeply positive while also being extremely real about grief and family and growing up; it's so sweet and good. I keep it very close to my heart.