15 TV shows LGBTQ people should binge in 2018

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Skins (Netflix)

America just doesn’t make teen shows quite like the UK. While in North America we had shows like Degrassi, 90210, and The OC, across the pond, there was Skins.

Skins was raw, real, and fun. Following groups of teenagers in England, episodes were often filled with sex, nudity, drugs, and enough foul language to send your grandmother into cardiac arrest.

But what was best about the show is that the actors were usually around the same age as the characters, adding to the realism of the series. Every two seasons featured a new generation of teens for viewers to warm up to, though season one will forever be remembered as one of the most memorable casts.

Besides the realism, the show often brushed over topics of sexuality with ease, because what’s wrong with being gay? The first generation included Maxxie, the beloved gay teenager who just wanted to dance. Though he has no trouble accepting his true self, his best friend Anwar can’t seem to justify Maxxie’s homosexuality with his Muslim religion.

The second generation also features Emily and Naomi, who become lesbian lovers. The two have a complicated relationship, and not everyone accepts them at first, but that never stopped fans from adoring this pairing.

Skins isn’t a show that focuses on LGBTQ issues, but rather, it just naturally weaves queer characters into storylines because that’s what real life is like. These characters aren’t meant to stand out like a sore thumb, they are meant to blend in; but that doesn’t make their stories any less important.

While their stories are important, so are the struggles of the other characters, and that’s why Skins was such a cultural phenomenon.

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