OK. Maybe no one won 2020, but queer women did pretty well for ourselves — especially when you consider the state of the world!
We’ll take any wins we can in a year like this. From weddings, TV, film, to music and video games, here are some of our favorite queer women moments from the year. Tell us yours in the comments below!
Everyone on Twitter was talking about Happiest Season, the lesbian Christmas romcom from Clea DuVall and starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, and a scene-stealing Aubrey Plaza. It quickly became the most popular movie to premiere on Hulu and a huge cultural moment.
Created by Dana Terrace, who is also bi, The Owl House became the first show on the Disney Channel to ever star a bisexual protagonist this year. Congratulations to Luz and Amity!
We’ve all loved the hilarious and beautiful Niecy Nash for years in everything from Reno 911 to Claws, so when she surprised us by announcing she got married to a woman, singer Jessica Betts, this year, the entire lesbian internet blew up. Love wins, y’all.
Queer women donimated the Grammy nominations this year. Brittany Howard scored five nominations, and Bridgers added four more, plus other artists like Lady Gaga and Chika picked up nominations as well.
Ryan Murphy’s The Prom came out like, well, a high school lesbian this year. Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman was an absolute delight in this Broadway adaptation as Emma, a teen lesbian who wants to go to her school dance with a girl. Watch The Prom on Netflix now!
In a year where we needed entertainment to distract us from the horrors of the real world, Sarah Paulson was there for us. She starred in Mrs. America, Run, and Ratched, and gave us everything we needed. Whether she was paying a visit to nearly every household in America as a twisted nurse, giving us her first peek of her American Crime Story Linda Tripp costume, or being cute with her partner Holland Taylor, Paulson won everything this year (and every year, frankly).
Netflix’s She-Ra and The Princesses of Power was one of the platform's best shows, and it ended on a high, and gay, note this year, as a lesbian kiss between the show’s hero, She-Ra, and antagonist, Catra, ended up saving the whole universe. An animated show has never been so centered around a queer story before, and the internet was going NUTS about Catradora.
The spooky show everyone was talking about this year was, at it’s center, a lesbian love story between American nanny Dani and British groundskeeper Jamie. Not only did this Netflix show become all anyone was talking about, but queer women across the country couldn’t stop thinking about the slow and tender romance between its two women.
Iconic lesbian filmmaker Alice Wu (Saving Face) returned for the first time in 15 years to bring us this instant classic about a teen lesbian trying to help her friend woo a classmate she also has a crush on. This was one of the best movies of the year
Early in the year when the Birds of Prey movie came out, we were all overjoyed at how gay it was, showing an animated Harley kiss a woman in the opening montage, and featuring lesbian character Renee Montoya. But things got even gayer for Harley when she and fellow villain Poison Ivy finally hooked up on Harley’s HBO Max animated series.
When Ruby Rose left the role as Batwoman in her own CW show, queer women were panicking, but then, Javicia Leslie stepped in. The bisexual actress and Muay Thai fighter got a new costume and is making us more excited than ever to watch the show.
The long awaited sequel see’s the return of our favorite clicker-fighting queer, Ellie, as she explores the post apocalyptic world with her girlfriend Dina. The game was one of the most popular video games of the year and won Game of the Year at the Game Awards.
Miley Cyrus is a shape shifter, and this year she gave us 80’s Rock Idol Realness with her album Plastic Hearts. Collaborating with Dua Lipa, Stevie Nicks, and Billy Idol, she got dirty and dangerous with both covers and original songs this year.
Sue Bird is one of Women’s Basketball’s all-time-greats, and Megan Rapinoe is one of the best soccer players in the world, now, they’re one of the hottest lesbian couples there is.
Johnson became the very first out Black lesbian to join Saturday Night Live’s cast this year, and is already bringing a completely new voice and point of view to the classic show. It’s about damn time.
