By: Alex Bloom and Gabrielle McLaren

Best:

Pride (2014)

In a way this movie is sex positive because it isn’t just about sex or sexuality. It’s about a group of gay and lesbian men and women who go to a small mining town in Wales during the miners’ strike of the ‘80s to declare their support for the miners. The film depicts all sex as healthy, natural, and fun, and works to normalize non-heterosexual sex in particular. It doesn’t obsess over sex and it doesn’t shy away from it. It addresses the stigma surrounding non-hetero sexuality, and does a great job of alleviating this stigma through its relatable, nuanced characters and their relationships.

     Even though the term “gays” is thrown around by a lot of the straight characters in the movie, the film itself does not simply define its characters as being “a gay” or “a straight,” but as real and believable people. There is initial tension between the small mining town and their newfound friends, but as they start to see them as individuals and not just “gays,” they begin to form friendships. The characters’ sexualities are simply a part of who they are, and sex itself is not glamorized or stigmatized, it is presented as what it is — a very human activity — regardless of who is participating in it. – AB

Sense8 (2015)

Apart from any shortcomings in the plot or storytelling devices of the show, Sense8 does succeed in being incredibly sex positive. Throughout the series, sex is shown as a fun, healthy activity between two or more consenting adults. It also depicts sexuality as a spectrum rather than a binary. Since Sense8 is a show that follows eight main characters, some of whom are in relationships, it makes sense that sex is going to be a part of the daily lives of the characters; and since the show depicts much of their daily lives, sex is naturally a part of it. You could argue that the sex scenes don’t move the story along, but I would argue that they both reveal and develop the personalities of the protagonists.

     Not only does the show follow eight characters, but the premise of Sense8 is that those eight characters are intimately linked through a brain mutation that allows them to experience what the others are doing at any given time, as well as to communicate with each other from any distance. Naturally this has an effect on their sex lives. At first it is awkward, and they would rather just ignore it when the others have sex, but as their bond deepens they begin to accept each other and experience it as one being. For some of them this shows character development in their acceptance of the others’ sexualities, which vary. – AB

Not quite the worst:

Game of Thrones (2011)

While I will admit that I enjoy this series, and the books do a slightly better job of addressing this issue, the series depicts sex and sexuality in some very problematic ways. To start, there are numerous sex scenes that objectify women (and sometimes men), and have little purpose in the plot. The biggest issue with HBO’s Game of Thrones, however, is that violence against women is often shown for no real reason other than to denote that a character is a bad guy deserving of death. In fact, at one point, Jaime Lannister — who is supposed to be a protagonist — sexually assaults his sister, a choice by the show’s creators made even more troubling by the fact that it was not a sexual assault in the original scene from the book.

     It is clear that HBO’s Game of Thrones needs to improve the way that it deals with sex, sexuality, and gender. That being said, it does deserve some recognition for its depiction of The Red Viper: a proud bisexual man and a nuanced, charismatic character. Though I also wonder if they would have made this choice with a character that was in the show for more than a few episodes. – AB

Worst:

Fifty Shades of Grey . . . the whole series (2015)

While it may already be a common stance to dislike this series simply due to its popularity, Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels have some serious flaws in their depictions of sex and sexuality . . . which is kind of a big deal in a series about sex. (I will be speaking to the films here, since I haven’t actually read the books — and never will).

     Early on it becomes clear that Anastasia isn’t having a good time during many of the sex scenes, and her partner isn’t super receptive about it, to say the least. In fact, at several points it seems like Christian intimidates her into performing sexual acts. Little to no attention is paid to the concept of consent throughout the series. Her consent to one sexual act doesn’t mean that she consented to anything that he wants to do, but Christian continually uses the threat of his displeasure, or even physical violence, to get Anastasia to do what he wants. And no, you can’t make someone sign away their right to control their own body. It is a basic and inalienable human right. The “contract” he makes her sign is extremely problematic in its own right, let alone the fact that he often refers to her as “his.” Overall an extremely problematic series, and it is in no way representative of the BDSM and kink communities. – AB

Friends (1994)

When I need noise in the room to study or something to binge when I’m sick, I default to Friends. That being said, I cringe when the trans community is used as a punchline. There’s season 8’s Thanksgiving episode, when Rachel learns that Ross and his old friend Will started a rumour in high school about Rachel being intersex. There’s season 3, episode twenty-one when Ross disastrously helps an injured Rachel with her makeup and she says that she’ll blend in by “sitting next to the transsexual from purchasing” . . . This sampling of commentary is especially shameful and unacceptable since the show is set in New York, the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ movement. Not to exonerate Friends, but there’s another standout moment in season 3, episode 6 where the friends reimagine their lives in a flashback but one thing doesn’t change: Ross’ ex-wife Carol is still queer, a powerful statement on the validity of queer identities.

     I think Friends is as confused in its depiction of the queer community as the Americans were at the time it was produced. Nowadays, when there is no excuse to be uneducated, it’s important to stay on top of these depictions and think critically. I’m just happy that my little brother watched this show with my critical gay ass next to him. – GM