25 reasons Queer as Folk is essential LGBTQIA+ viewing today

Queer as Folk (2000-2005). Photo Credit: Showtime

Complicated relationships between young and old in the LGBTQIA+ community

There is always going to be a disconnect between generations, whether you’re gay, straight, or anything in between, but this disconnect seems more exacerbated when it comes to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The difference in society from one generation to the next changes so greatly that it affects the mentality of the person in question, which makes it harder for the two to get along.

Justin is the best example from Queer as Folk. He’s still in high school during the show’s first season, and yet he doesn’t feel uncomfortable telling people he’s gay. He’s even confident enough to sneak out to a gay club and go home with a much older man. He brags about his sexual conquests to his best friend, he even comes out to his parents. These are all things that would’ve been much harder for someone Vic’s age, or even Brian and Michael’s age.

Since his coming out experience was generally “easier” (minus the whole getting bashed by Chris Hobbs thing), Justin was more naive and idealistic than the older men on the show. He does become more jaded after being attacked with a baseball bat, because that’s when he gets his first real taste of oppression as an openly gay man, but before that, he struggles to fit in with the older crowd.

The guys all make fun of Justin — especially Michael, who’s a little jealous of his relationship with Brian — because he’s so much younger and he just doesn’t understand the way things are, but throughout the series, they also act as mentors to him, as do Melanie and Lindsay. That proves that, even though it’s a complicated relationship between young and old, it’s still important to close that generation gap to learn from those who came before you.