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Nude scenes in mainstream media – gay rights!
Netflix; HBO
Scenes featuring naked gay characters haven’t always been widely accepted in mainstream media. For a very long time, gay characters were often turned into people that didn’t really discuss or show their sex lives on-screen in the same way as their straight counterparts.
Thankfully, movies and TV shows have been slowly evolving over the years to include scenes featuring the sex lives and nudity of gay characters. Even though there’s always going to be a debate over the objectification of characters, it’s only fair that men – and gay men specifically – also get to be shown naked on-screen. This normalizes gay sex and gay nudity, which is a fight that the LGBTQ+ community is unfortunately still in the middle of.
With that said, it’s time to celebrate some of the sexiest, funniest, and most noteworthy gay nude scenes in film and television.
Scroll through to see some of our favorite gay nude scenes in movies and TV shows over the years!
Matt Bomer – ‘The Boys in the Band’
Netflix
As the character of Donald, Matt Bomer bared it all for his performance in Netflix’s The Boys in the Band. During one particular scene, Donald took a shower and showed off basically everything there is to see, front and back, on the screen.
Where to watch: Netflix.
Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger – ‘Brokeback Mountain’
Focus Features
Jake Gyllenhaal (as Jack) and Heath Ledger (as Ennis) gave us a complicated story of gay love between two cowboys in Brokeback Mountain. Both characters were seen naked and having sex at different points in the movie, which was absolutely groundbreaking for a critically-acclaimed film released in 2005.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Billy Eichner & Luke Macfarlane – ‘Bros’
Universal Pictures
Bobby (Billy Eichner) and Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) tried to fight against their attraction for each other throughout a good portion of Bros, but they failed. As the two men started to really fall for each other, they had a few naked scenes together. In one scene, Bobby and Aaron were seen in a foursome with two random guys they met online. They then had a sex scene between just the two of them, which was as funny as it was sexy.
Where to watch: Available for rentals on digital stores.
Zane Phillips – ‘Fire Island’
Hulu
Zane Phillips had quite a few naked scenes in Fire Island. His character, Dex, got naked in a dark room at a party and had some fun with Noah (played by Joel Kim Booster). Dex also had an infamous sex scene with Luke (played by Matt Rogers) later in the film.
Where to watch: Hulu.
Murray Bartlett – ‘Looking’
HBO
Murray Bartlett had several naked scenes while playing the character of Dom Basaluzzo on HBO’s Looking. In the sauna, in the showers, having sex… Dom was naked pretty often in the series, which predated his breakout roles in upcoming shows like The White Lotus and The Last of Us.
Where to watch: Max.
Devin Way, Johnny Sibilly, Chris Renfro – ‘Queer As Folk’ (2022)
Peacock
The Peacock reboot of Queer As Folk featured numerous nude scenes featuring actors Devin Way (Brodie), Johnny Sibilly (Noah), and Chris Renfro (Daddius). Between all of their sexcapades with one another – and with other characters – there was plenty of gay nudity on this iteration of Queer As Folk.
Where to watch: Peacock.
Miguel Ángel Silvestre – ‘Sense8’
Netflix
Sense8 was never scared of LGBTQ+ sex scenes, and many of them involved Miguel Ángel Silvestre playing the character of Lito. Whether he was having sex with his partner Hernando (played by Alfonso Herrera) or getting himself into a cluster orgy with other men, Lito got naked quite a bit throughout the two seasons of Sense8 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix.
Drew Tarver – ‘The Other Two’
Max
Drew Tarver has gotten naked quite a few times as the character of Cary Dubek on The Other Two. In the third season, Cary kept trying to have sex with his new boyfriend, who’s a method actor that never snaps out of character (played by Fin Argus). In one particular scene, Cary took off his clothes and got on all fours to have sex with his boyfriend… but was once again denied any action in a hilarious way.
Where to watch: Max.
Lukas Gage & Murray Bartlett – ‘The White Lotus’ Season 1
HBO
Lukas Gage (Dillon) and Murray Bartlett (Armond) shared a very famous naked scene in the first scene of The White Lotus. It all starts with Armond and Dillon getting high and taking off their clothes together. Then, a guest catches Armond – who works as the hotel manager – in the middle of eating Dillon’s ass.
Where to watch: Max.
Leo Woodall & Tom Hollander – ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2
HBO
The second season of The White Lotus also featured a surprising gay sex scene between Jack (Leo Woodall) and Quentin (Tom Hollander). Considering that Quentin had introduced Jack as his nephew, viewers were pretty shocked to see this happening. On the other hand, many viewers pointed out that Jack was probably not Quentin’s “nephew,” and the term had been used as code to conceal the fact that Jack was a sex worker on vacation with Quentin.
Where to watch: Max.
