4 queer and trans happenings to wind you up or down in the week ahead

What to watch: Dating Amber

Irish indie film Dating Amber, written and directed by David Freyne, was released across Canada on Nov. 10. Set in Ireland in the 1990s, the hit comedy-drama follows two closeted queer high schoolers, Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) and Amber (Lola Pettigrew), who use each other as beards to thwart their bullies and stop speculation around their sexualities. Their plan starts to fall apart as they each come to terms with their queerness at different paces. Dating Amber directed by David Freyne is now available to stream across Canada on Video on Demand, Apple TV, iTunes, and more.

What to read: Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

Brazilian illustrator and author Vitor Martins released the YA novel Here the Whole Time on Nov. 10. It tells the story of Felipe, a fat teenager relentlessly teased by his peers, who’s looking forward to school break so he can let down his guard and just watch TV in comfort. But Felipe’s mother informs him that Caio, a neighbouring teen, will be spending the next 15 days with them while his parents are on vacation. Unbeknownst to his mother, Felipe has had feelings for Caio for years. Now, Felipe must confront his body image insecurities and work through the idea that someone like Caio could never love him back. Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins is now available to purchase on Amazon in the U.S. and Canada.

What to listen to: “Adamantine” by Pat Reilly

Los Angeles-based singer Pat Reilly is releasing his debut EP Prince of the Night on Nov. 13. The five-track album is a reflection on the queer electronic-pop singer’s time in isolation and coming to terms with himself through queer stories. The album features his previously released single “Adamantine,” about the unconscious traumas Reilly had to confront after COVID-19 isolation prevented him from using friends, work or his career as a distraction. Prince of the Night by Pat Reilly will be available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify on Nov. 13.

What to look at: From Here to Eternity

The Photographers’ Gallery in London has curated a retrospective on the Dehli-born, U.K.-based photographer Sunil Gupta, running until January 2021. The exhibit, From Here to Eternity, spans five decades of photographs depicting the complexities of queer and trans lives and Gupta’s experience with love. The Photographers’ Gallery has released a free walkthrough video in which Gupta unpacks his photographic process, his politically and socially aware art and shares his own anecdotal experiences as a gay Indian man. Beyond the exhibit, other artists plan to use Gupta’s retrospective as an opportunity to continue conversations regarding queer identity and health. To coincide with From Here to Eternity, artists Raisa Kabir and Raju Rage are hosting “Queer Care and Interdependence” on Nov. 25—a Zoom panel that will examine Gupta’s work in relation to trans activism, health care and resistance. The free walkthrough video of the From Here To Eternity exhibit is available on the Photographer’s Gallery website. To attend the Queer Care and Interdependence Zoom panel, viewers must book in advance through the gallery website.