Each year, more and more LGBTQ+ movies are being shown on various networks, like Lifetime and Hallmark. Last year, many people enjoyed the popular holiday romantic comedy-drama, Happiest Season. It seems that several other LGBTQ+ movies are continuing the trend in 2021, with films starring Drag Race icon RuPaul, as well as Michael Urie, Jonathan Bennet, Jennifer Coolidge, and more. 

Here are some LGBTQ+ holiday films that we are looking forward to watching. 

Single All the Way

Single All the Way is a 2021 holiday romantic comedy about a gay man (Michael Urie) who asks best friend (Philemon Chambers) to pretend to be his boyfriend when going home for Christmas. The film also stars Kathy Najimy, Luke Macfarlane, Barry Bostwick, and Jennifer Robertson. Jennifer Coolidge also has a hilarious performance, which should be no surprise as this is what she does best.

The film is currently streaming on Netflix and has been praised for depicting gay characters in an everyday setting but not using the typical “coming out” plotline that can dominate many LGBTQ+ films. However, the film was criticized for its tropes characteristic of holiday romantic comedy films.

Christmas at the Ranch

Christmas at the Ranch is a movie about a city woman (Laur Allen), raised by her grandmother (Lindsay Wagner), who comes home to Tennessee at the request of her brother (Archie Kao). Her brother asks her to help save the family ranch from foreclosing. Even though Haley is reluctant to get involved, she develops some chemistry with ranch hand Kate (Amanda Righetti).

This film is streaming on TelloFilms.com, the first streaming network to tell stories about queer women and femmes. 

The Bitch Who Stole Christmas 

The Bitch Who Stole Christmas is a 2021 Christmas comedy film starring RuPaul and twenty former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants, with cameos from other celebrities. The film aired on VH1 on December 2, 2021.

According to the film’s official description: “In the draggiest Christmas movie ever made, a workaholic big-city fashion journalist is sent to a Christmas-obsessed small town to dig up a story when she finds herself in the middle of cut-throat housewives, a high-stakes “Winter Ball” competition, and a sinister plot that could destroy Christmas fore-evah!”

The Jenkins’ Family Christmas

When their family patriarch dies, sisters Baneatta and Beverly (Regina Taylor and Kim Coles) aim to continue Christmas traditions even amongst family resentments. However, the arrival of an unknown half-sister could create even more drama. 

Baneatta’s gay son, Kenny (Anthony Chatmon II), brings his boyfriend, Logan (Derek Chadwick), home for the holiday festivities but is not well received. We then get to see if Logan can successfully push Kenny into standing up to his controlling mother and whether or not they will be brought closer together or driven future apart. 

To watch this film, you can find it on BET+.

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls

Last year, Hallmark landed itself into trouble after removing a jewelry ad that featured lesbian brides. Because of this controversy, Hallmark tried to make up for it by showing the first gay couple in one of its holiday movies. This movie was called “The Christmas House,” with more than 13 million views over the 2020 holiday season. Now, there will be a much-anticipated sequel to this film. 

In the original movie, Bill and Phylis Mitchell (Treat Williams and Sharon Lawrence) invited their sons home for the holidays but then broke the news that they were selling the family home.

In the sequel, their gay son Brandon (Jonathan Bennet) and his husband, Jake (Brad Harder), will be battling it out with Brandon’s straight brother, Mike (Robert Buckley), to see who will create the best decorated and most festive Christmas house.

We hope that these LGBTQ+ holiday movies will be a good representation and bring joy to the queer community this holiday season. 

What is your favorite LGBTQ+ holiday movie picks?