25 reasons Queer as Folk is essential LGBTQIA+ viewing today

Terrorist attacks against LGBTQIA+ community

Queer as Folk didn’t draw the line at just high school hate crimes, no, that would be too easy. They wanted to make sure that people understood the severity of the hate LGBTQIA+ people face, and that it’s more than a little violence here and there. The result is one of the most poignant, heartbreaking episodes of the series.

On the show’s final season, the crew is holding a benefit at their favorite gay club, Babylon, in order to raise awareness for the homophobic Proposition 14 law that threatens same-sex couples’ rights. They’re all very vocal about the harmfulness regarding Prop14, Justin even winds up in jail for the cause. But something happened at the Stop Prop14 Benefit that would change everything.

During a performance from legend Cyndi Lauper (guest starring as herself, hosting the benefit), the crowd is having the time of their lives. Then out of nowhere, there’s a bright light and a loud bang and it all happens in slow motion. There was an explosion at Babylon. Debbie is nearby and hears the bang, immediately knowing something is wrong, and Brian races over immediately after hearing about it on the radio.

When Brian storms in to find Justin — who he eventually finds safe and sound — it’s a grim sight. People are being rushed out by firefighters, there are bloody shoes on the floor, people are lying dead in the rubble. They didn’t sugarcoat any of it, because these things happen in real life. There was the Upstairs Lounge arson attack in 1973, where over 30 people died slowly in a fire at a gay bar, and of course, more recently, the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, which left 49 people dead in an act of hate. Those are just two examples, and Queer as Folk made sure people knew why LGBTQIA+ people are still fighting for equality.