Queer rom-coms and a new drag reality competition show streaming this April

This month, we’re blessed with multiple streaming platform originals that are centred around queer leads and storylines—and we’ve curated a list of them for you to watch. From Hulu’s rom-com Crush, starring Rowan Blanchard, to the Netflix series Heartstopper and HBO Max’s drag reality show Queen Stars, there is a bunch of new and original LGBTQ2S+ content coming to your screens in April.

Crush (2022)

April 29 on Hulu

Hulu is dropping a new queer high school rom-com, Crush, on April 29. The teen love story stars Girl Meets World actress Rowan Blanchard as Paige, an aspiring artist who’s forced to join the school track team captained by her crush, but soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate. 

Saint-Narcisse

April 1 on CBC Gem

The 2021 film Saint-Narcisse from acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Bruce LaBruce will be available to watch on CBC Gem starting April 1. The mind-twist film follows a young man in search of his lesbian mother, who he thinks is dead, but ends up finding his seperated-at-birth twin brother instead. After being reunited with their mother, the twins are soon entangled in a strange web of sex and redemption.

Boys on the Side (1995) 

April 1 on Hulu

Hulu is releasing the 1995 lesbian chick-flick, Boys on the Side, on April 1. After breaking up with her girlfriend, Jane (Whoopi Goldberg), answers a personal ad from Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), a real estate agent with AIDS who is seeking a cross-country travel partner. On the way to Los Angeles, the two stop to pick up Robin’s friend Holly (Drew Barrymore), who is trying to escape an abusive relationship.

We’re All Going To The World’s Fair 

April 22 on HBO Max and in U.S. theatres

The 2021 queer horror movie We’re All Going To The World’s Fair, by non-binary filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, will be available to watch on HBO Max and in select U.S. theatres starting April 22. Schoenbrun’s directorial debut is loosely based on experiences they had online writing horror stories in a message board as a young, closeted trans person. The movie stars Anna Cobb as Casey, who starts playing the “World Fair” game. When things go awry, she starts to question what’s real and what’s a part of the game. 

The Toronto Queer Film Festival

March 31 to April 3 online

The Toronto Queer Film Festival is back with Queer Futurisms, presenting works that draw inspiration from Afrofuturism, Indigenous futurism, technology, science fiction, prophecies, projections and predictions. The festival streams online for Canadian viewers from March 31 to April 3. One of the films premiering under the category “Porn Is Boring” is Girl Gang by Charlie Benedetti, a Spanish short film about a queer female rock band.

Maybe Someday 

April 1 to 17 at Cinequest 

The feature film Maybe Someday by Michelle Ehlen will be available to watch for California residents at Cinequest Film Festival from April 1 to 17. The film follows Jay, a non-binary photographer in their 40s, who moves across the country in the midst of separating from their wife. Along the way, Jay takes a detour to stay with their high school best friend who they had feelings for before coming out as a lesbian. Now, Jay has to grapple with the inevitable cycles of love, loss and moving on.

Heartstopper

April 22 on Netflix

Netflix is releasing an original teen queer romantic drama series called Heartstopper on April 22. The series is based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels of the same name, which tell the story of two British teens, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, who attend an all-boys grammar school. Charlie is an uptight overthinker and Nick is a bubbly rugby player; the two are assigned to sit together in class, and it takes off from there. All eight episodes of the first season are being released at once, making this the perfect new binge-worthy show. 

Queen Stars (season 1 premiere)

April 7 on HBO Max

HBO Max is trying its hand at a drag competition show with their new original series Queen Stars, premiering on the service starting April 7. The new Brazilian drag reality competition series features 20 drag performers who compete to be crowned the three “New Queens.” The series is hosted by Brazilian icons Pabllo Vittar and Luísa Sonza.

A Black Lady Sketch Show (season 3 premiere)

April 8 on HBO Max

The third season of the comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, created by Issa Rae and Robin Thede, is premiering on HBO Max on April 8. In addition to Ashley Nicole Black being a queer woman and core cast member, the show has featured multiple Black queer comedians and touches on Black queer culture in many of their skits. In the latest season, the series features over 40 celebrity guest stars, including Ava DuVernay, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Raven-Symoné, Wanda Sykes and more.

The Flight Attendant (season 2 premiere)

April 21 on HBO Max

The second season of the HBO Max mystery thriller series The Flight Attendant will premiere on the service April 21. The series stars Kaley Cuoco as Cassie, an alcoholic flight attendant who has a one night stand with a passenger in Bangkok and wakes up to him murdered. Cassie’s flight attendant “work friend” and secret CIA agent, Shane, is played by queer icon Griffin Matthews. Canadian comic heartthrob Mae Martin joins the cast for Season 2. 

Better Nate Than Never

April 1 on Disney+

Disney+ is getting a queer-themed musical with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator Tim Federle’s directorial debut, Better Nate Than Never, premiering on April 1. The family-friendly flick follows a 13-year-old named Nate, an awkward, aspiring theatre kid who struggles to land a part in his middle school play, but follows his dream to audition on Broadway in the Big Apple. 

BOUND

March 28 until April 24 through Against The Grain Theatre

A collaboration between opera, theatre, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, BOUND follows the life stories of four Canadians from diverse backgrounds through a hybrid opera-film format, sourcing from interviews with each subject. One of the film’s subjects is Newfoundland and Labrador-born Cindy Rivers, who found work across the country in the oil patch, but struggled with issues related to her gender identity. The film is streaming free online until April 24.

Swimming With Sharks 

April 15 on Roku

Streaming service Roku will premiere its new original queer thriller series, Swimming With Sharks, for American and Canadian viewers on April 15. Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger star in this erotic psychological six-episode series about an intern who grows dangerously obsessed with her boss.