50 LGBTQ+ Movies To Stream on Netflix With Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Characters

What are the best lesbian and trans movies are on Netflix? This is probably a question you have typed into a search box before. Perhaps you typed that into a search box really recently, like ten seconds ago, and that’s why you’re here, now, with all of us, wondering about the best streaming lesbian movies on Netflix, or the best lesbian bisexual queer and trans movies on Netflix. In this case we are using “lesbian” as an adjective referring to romance and other activities between two women.

read our review of badhaai do

“Despite its blind spots, Badhaai Doisthe movie I always wished Bollywood would make, the sweet and silly story I was desperate to find beneath the cheerful cruelty ofDostana,” writes Anamika Gopalan. “The smallest moments in the film were electrifying — Sumi holding Rimjhim’s hand at the doctor’s office, Rimjhim putting her arm around Sumi’s shoulders, Sumi blowing kisses up to Rimjhim on the balcony — I was watching two Indian women fall in love, and for 150 minutes the world felt open and full of possibility.”

read our review of shiva baby

“This is officially a comedy, but with its horror movie score, claustrophobic cinematography, and premise of running into your sugar daddy and your ex-girlfriend at a shiva, it’s safe to say this is one of the scariest movies on this list,” writes Drew of Shiva Baby.

read our review of do revenge

This delightfully dark homage to ’90s teen flicks is a colorful, slick comedy starring Camilla Mendes as mean girl Drea who, after seeing her video sexts leaked by her boyfriend, teams up on an intricate revenge plot with Eleanor (Maya Hawke), a lesbian transfer student dead-set on punishing the girl who bullied her at summer camp as a pre-teen.

read our review of fear street

“What makes The Fear Street Trilogy go from a solid good time to a grand cinematic event is its understanding that intelligence and fun are not antithetical,” writes Drew in the Lesbian Movie Encyclopedia. “Like The Slumber Party Massacre Trilogy,Fear Street doesn’t make us choose between campy horror and an engagement with reality. It’s proof that “good politics” are also good storytelling.” The first installment of this series based on the Christopher Pike movies does the unthinkable: it lets its queer heroines live.

read our review of nyad

“Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’sNYAD is a rousing masterpiece of a sports movie,” writes Drew. “Focusing on Nyad’s Herculean swim from Havana to Key West, the film is a thrilling tribute to its stubborn protagonist and the power of queer friendship. Annette Bening captures Diana in all her prickly complexity and Jodie Foster as Bonnie, Nyad’s best friend and coach, gives her best performance since the 90s.”

read our review of the half of it 

Alice Wu’s lesbian take on Cyrano de Bergerac follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a shy, Chinese-American 17-year-old who splits her days taking care of her grieving father and writing essays for her peers for extra money. She forms an unexpected bond with the crush of a sweet football player who hires her to write her love letters. “It may not be a “love story” in the traditional sense, but it is about love,” wrote Malinda Lo in her review. “It’s about young people discovering what it is, what it isn’t, and what it could be. It’s about searching for your other half and finding that the other half might be within you. And yes, it’s about a queer Asian American girl — still a revolutionary subject for a mainstream film.”

read our review of ‘it’s only life after all’

Using decades of archival footage, this documentary attempts to grasp the entirety of the impact of lesbian folk-rock duo The Indigo Girls.

read our review of ma rainey’s black bottom

Based on August Wilson’s Tony-award winning play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom sees Viola Davis as the titular character, a Black queer blues singer and one of the most successful Black women of the era. In her hands, Carmen writes, the triumphant and emotional film “becomes a complex portrait of a queer Black woman hurricane whose footprints loom over the last 100 years.”

read our review of ‘the miseducation of cameron post’

Desiree Akhvan’s adaptation of emily m. danforth’s stunning coming-of-age novel follows teenage Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) in the early nineties who’s sent to conversion camp after her boyfriend catches her having sex with her secret girlfriend Coley Taylor, in the backseat of Coley’s car. There she meets Jane Fonda (Sasha Lane), who was raised in a hippie commune, and begins to discover who she really is and who she wants to be.

read our review of the mitchells vs the machines

“The Mitchells is a genuinely hilarious animated film, full of cutting cultural jokes, visual gags, smash cuts, bonkers animation, and frolicking dialogue,” writes Heather of this delightful story about a family driving cross-country to drop off their daughter, Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) for film school. Although Katie’s queerness isn’t the focus of the film, it’s an essential element of her very relatable character.

read our review of Disclosure.

This thorough documentary traces the history of trans representation in cinema and television, featuring voices including Laverne Cox, Daniel Sea, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono.

read our review of nimona

“One of the most interesting things about the film is how both Nimona and Ballister want revenge for what happened to him, but she wants it because she wants to watch this tyrannical heteronormative world burn, whereas he just wants this terrible world to accept him,” writes Heather. “They both learn a lot about themselves as their hijinks find them working seamlessly, side-by-side, and also find them often at odds, motivationally and ethically, because they want the same thing for vastly different reasons.”

read our review of prom

This Netflix adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, produced by Ryan Murphy, follows a handful of out-of-work Broadway actors as they insert themselves into a small Indiana town to advocate for a teen to attend the prom with her girlfriend. It left Valerie with “a happy, joy-filled, unruly heart.” It wasn’t a critical favorite, but we as a community had a very nice time!

“This is easily my favorite two and a half hour lesbian murder drama about bourgeoisie class betrayal with a Norah Jones needle drop. Based on the popular mangaGunjō, Ryūichi Hiroki has made the bonkers, gratuitous lesbian movie I’d hopedBenedetta would be. ” – Drew Gregory

This touching documentary follows comedian Will Ferrel and his dear friend, Harper, on a cross-country road trip shortly following Harper coming out as a trans woman. “There’s a real joy to spending time with Harper and Will and their relationship,” writes Drew in her review. “Not only are they funny, but here they’re funny in a way only possible with intimacy. The documentary feels like sitting in on the very best of inside jokes.”

The true story of Christy Martin, the lesbian boxer who came up in the ’90s as one of the first prominent pro boxers — but her success and big personality hid a soul-crushing reality, trapped in an abusive marriage with her husband and manager.

This haunting, slow-burn Thai drama follows Ann, an eldest daughter struggling to rise above her mother’s gambling debts and Jane, her wealthy childhood best friend. The purity and joyfulness of their first love is thwarted by external pressures — like Ann’s potentially transformative marriage to a police officer.

Tara’s desperate to lose her virginity while on holiday with her friends — mean girl Skye and bicurious Em. “The girls drink, swap outfits, drink, eat French fries, drink, dance, drink, and drink some more,” Drew writes in her review. And then they join up with the friend group next door: nice dirtbag Badger, lesbian dirtbag Paige, and actual dirtbag Paddy.” While Tara isn’t queer, Em and Paige’s story provide a lighthearted, sex positive subplot in this movie that “honors the bad sex, the good sex, and the sex that wasn’t sex because sex requires consent. It also celebrates the connections that didn’t need sex at all. Friendships, flirtations, strangers who adopt you at the club.”

Accused (2026)
A revered London gynecologist is accused of sexual misconduct in this Hindi & English language movie. Under scrutiny, her life unravels and her wife’s loyalty is tested.

Anne+: The Movie (2022)
The 90-minute dramedy follows the titular Anne as all the happy endings from her beloved crowd-funded two-season Dutch webseries Anne+ come unraveled. The film “simply does not care that straight people exist, as characters or as audience members,” writes Heather Hogan in her review, praising its “low-stake storytelling” and “queer-acted and queer-directed sex scenes.”

Beautiful Rebel (2023)
“Based on the life of real-life pansexual rockstar Gianna Nannini, Cinzia TH Torrini’s film follows Gianna from childhood to international stardom. This is a very standard music biopic, hitting all the tropes,” writes Drew. “We also have the drugs, the spiraling, the emotional outbursts in the recording studio. None of these beats are inherently bad — after all, they happen in real life — but, when not done with any specificity or inventiveness, they become tiresome.”

Beauty (2022)
Netflix barely promoted the existence of this film, probably because it’s not very good! Described as the story of “a young singer on the brink of a promising career who finds herself torn between a domineering family, industry pressures and her love for her girlfriend,” it is very clearly intended to be about Whitney Houston.Niecy Nash plays her mother.

Best in Show (2000)
Christopher Guest’s dog show mocumentary features a romantic connection between Jane Lynch, paying high-strung dog trainer Christy Cummings and Coolidge as Sherri Ann Cabot, a wealthy trophy wife,

Bombshell (2019)
Kate McKinnon plays a lesbian reporter stuck working at Fox News when a new staffer decides it’s time to fight back against CEO Roger Ailes’s rampant sexual harassment of the channel’s talent.

Bruised (2022)
“If you’re anything like me and your main reasons for seeingBruised were to see Halle Berry fight and make out with girls, you won’t be disappointed,” wrote Carmen in her review of this film in which Berry plays an MMA fighter grabbing one last shot at redemption when the son she left behind returns to her life. “But you might walk away wishing it had stuck to just those two things.”

Close To You (2024)
Largely comprised of improvised dialogue, Close to You follows a trans man (Elliot Page) coming home to see his estranged family after years apart.

Duck Butter(2018)
“Duck Butter was a lot like a Naima and Sergio’s failed experiment: the sex was good but the delirious lesbian mumblecore didn’t leave a lasting impression.” – Heather Hogan

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)
Closeted lesbian Swweety Chaudhary (Sonam K Ahuja) is being pressured by her conservative and traditional Punjabi family to marry — but what she really wants to do is come out.

Elisa & Marcela (2019)
“Not the art film its showy Black & White cinematography and more creative flourishes seem to be aspiring for, but nevertheless an enjoyable period romance. Based on the true story of Spain’s first same-sex marriage, Isabel Coixet replaces an average looking queer woman and her androgynous love with two beautiful high femmes. It’s a bit silly and a bit long, but hey the sex scenes are great.” – Drew Gregory

Emilia Perez (2024)
Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldana) an under-appreciated lawyer in Mexico granted the opportunity to hook up a drug kingpin (Karla Sofía Gascón) with a surgeon for gender affirmation surgery while whisking away her wife (Selena Gomez) as Emilia fakes her own death. She later has a romantic subplot with a trans woman Epifanía. There is a grating musical number about vaginoplastys. This movie is fucking wild and also in many ways very bad. “I don’t understand why a movie that’s so bonkers in other ways chooses to undercut its strengths with this shallow understanding of its titular character,” wrote Drew. “And it is bonkers in ways I enjoyed.”

Familia (2023)
Leo, the family patriarch who lives alone with his son Benny, brings his whole family together once a month to catch up over a meal hosted in a resplendent landscape — and this time he wants to talk to his three daughters about the future of his idyllic olive farm. One of those daughters, Mariana, brings her new girlfriend to the lunch. Mariana’s pregnant, but refuses to disclose the identity of the father.

FanFic (2023)
“The movie is a delight when it’s showing Tosiek’s exploration and discovery,” writes Drew of this Polish sweet, gay, trans coming-of-age story, “less delightful when it’s telling us about it. It has similar problems in its approach to mental health.”

Happy Ending (2023)
After a year of secretly faking orgasms with her aimless artsy boyfriend, Luna pitches a threesome to her boyfriend, Mink, and they seal the deal with a climate change activist, Eve — an experience that turns everything upside-down.

Honey Don’t (2025)
We really wanted this neo-noir from Tricia Cooke to be better than it was! But also it certainly has its moments, and its Aubrey Plaza / Margaret Qualley sex. Qualley is an old-fashioned private investigator who suspects a local reverend is linked to the death of her client in a car crash — and a whole lot else. “Even if Honey Don’t! exists in its own stylized world, it makes sure we’re never having too much fun to forget our own,” writes Drew.

I Care A Lot (2021)
“If you don’t like to watch movies about horrible people doing horrible things, you’ll probably want to skip J Blakeson’s I Care A Lot,” recommends Kayla in her review. But, if you do like those movies, “then you might have fun with this cynical, clinical movie steeped in the horrors of capitalism and greed.” I Care A Lot is wicked and callous, but vivid and sharp, with a heartless lesbian protagonist played by Rosamund Pike and her girlfriend/partner played by the VERY hot Eiza González.

Let It Snow (2019)
“The inclusion of a queer romance in a film like this is exciting enough on its own. But what makes it all the more exciting is both Hewson and Akana are queer in real life! Hewson is non-binary and gay and Akana is bisexual. They’re both so good in their roles, bringing their charm and authenticity. ” – Drew Gregory

Mean Girls (2024)
The film adaptation of the musical based on the film based on the book; Mean Girls stars lesbian queen Renee Rapp as Regina George and this time, Janis Ian (played by queer actor Auli’i Cravalho) is certifiably gay. There’s a lot to love about this film, it’s a certified good time, and Rapp sizzles — but there’s a lot that underwhelms, like a far more subdued take on most of Cady’s songs.

Moxie (2021)
A 16-year-old is inspired by her Mom’s Riot Grrrl and zine-making past to strike back against INJUSTICE, misogyny and toxicity at her high school. Josie Totah plays a trans girl frustrated that her classmates and teachers won’t use her name. There is a subtle lesbian storyline that emerges quietly without much fanfare, which is fine — what’s less fine is that this film is centered on a white cis straight protagonist who is surrounded by women of color with far more interesting stories to tell.Read our review of moxie.

Passing (2021)
Passing is definitely one of the best films on this list, but its queerness is very subtextual, thus not being included up top! Carmen Phillips wrote of the film: “Passing has me in such a chokehold, I still don’t know where to start. There’s the craft of the storytelling, the questions it presents about understanding race — for once! — from a Black gaze. It’s singular in its grab and should be on the short list for any awards season conversation. But more than anything, I can’t stop thinking about the way that Tessa Thompson looks at Ruth Negga.”

The Perfection (2019)
“This recent Netflix horror movie would be offensive for a multitude of reasons if it wasn’t so incoherent. Instead it’s just an absolutely wild, incredibly shallow thrill ride with a queer woman romance(??) at its center.” – Drew Gregory

Pray Away (2021)
“There is no emotional catharsis in Pray Away,” writes Heather of this documentary about the dangers of conversion therapy, “no promised paths to victory for those who were abused by the teachings of the people featured in the documentary, no accountability, no looks at the exponential global repercussions of conversion therapy. It is, at best, picking at a scab — and, at worst, poking a dirty finger into a gaping wound.”

A Secret Love (2020)
A heartwarming documentary about former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Terry Donahue, and her partner, Pat Henschel, who met in Canada in 1946, fell in love, started a business together, all while keeping their relationship a secret.

Someone Great (2019)
“At its core, Someone Great is a comedy about getting high and drunk with your girls and listening to some great pop music and growing up a little in the process.” – Carmen Phillips

So My Grandma’s a Lesbian (2020)
This Spanish comedy follows a young Spanish lawyer whose plans to marry some rich Scottish dude from a conservative family are put into jeopardy when her 70-year-old grandmother, Sofia, comes out and announces her intention to marry her best friend. Good for them!

Stone Cold Fox (2025)
An ’80s-set action thriller described by many as toxic yuri, the plot finds Fox (Kiernan Shipka) escaping an abusive commune to find her family, only to be lured back in when the queenpin (Krysten Ritter) kidnaps her little sister and sics a cop on her trail. Many enjoy the scenario in which you see Krysten Ritter and Kiernan Shipka make out, so

Time Cut (2024)
This time-travel horror finds a protagonist haunted by a sister she never met after said sister was killed in a murder spree two years before she was born. On the anniversary of said sister’s death, she finds a time machine, heads back in time, and has a chance to stop the murders before they occur. Also there is a “sweet sapphic subplot“!

To Each Her Own (2018)
Although this French film got bad reviews, Sally informed us that she in fact has seen it and furthermore; liked it. I trust Sally so here we are. The plot is described as “Just as Simone works up the courage to tell her conservative Jewish family she’s a lesbian, she finds herself attracted to a man.”

Transmitzvah (2024)
An Argentinian musical sees Mumy Singer returning to her hometown as a famous Yiddish singing star, 20 years after she, then known as the Singman’s youngest sun Ruben, chose a Bat Mitzvah over a Bar Mitzvah.

Wendell & Wild (2022)
“This is an animated kids movie about how private prisons are way more evil than literal demons. How could I not love it??,” wrote Drew of this stop-motion adventure. “Not only does this give us a goth Black girl lead — it also has a Latino trans boy at her side. This isn’t just inclusive children’s entertainment — it’s inclusive children’s entertainment that actually engages with the realities of the people it represents.”

Wine Country (2019)
Paula Pell plays “a lesbian antique shop owner from Portland with a new set of knees and thirst for love” in this film Heather described as ” improv funny and physical comedy funny and sight gag funny and punny funny — and a story about how sometimes our little personality quirks can only be distilled into their truest form and made manifest as our lurking anxieties and insecurities and maladaptive coping mechanisms when we’re in the company of the women who love us best and most.” Also, Cherry Jones is in it!

Your Place or Mine (2023)
This rom-com from Alline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) sees Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) as best friends forever who swap houses for a week — him taking care of her son in LA, her spreading her wings in NYC — to discover themselves et cetera you know how it is with heterosexuals. Tig Notaro has a side role in this film as Debbie’s sardonic lesbian pal, although her queerness is never directly addressed.

You People (2023)
This movie is so objectively, unsettlingly, depressingly terrible, that I considered not even telling you that it existed at all. But alas, it does. Ezra (Jonah Hill) is a white Jewish guy and Amira (Lauren London) is Black and their families are very different and now they all have to meet and see who gets along! Ezra’s best friend and coworker, Mo, is a masc lesbian played by Sam Jay, and his sister, Liza (Molly Gordon) is also gay.