Film & TV Editor Mary O'Leary discusses the rise of sapphic cinema in 2026

By Mary O'Leary | Sep 11 2026

Ask anyone to name three shows or movies centred around queer people and chances are the titles they will come up with are Heated Rivalry, Heartstopper, and Call Me by Your Name. When they’re not naming those, they’ll say Young Royals or Red, White, and Royal Blue or Fellow Travelers- the list goes on. It’s no secret that stories about gay men are popular and many for good reason. That being said, it’s obvious to anyone within the queer community that the queer stories that garner the most accolades and recognition are not ones which centre around women.

Now that doesn’t mean queer women have been absent from queer media or even queer media centered around men. In many cases, even the ones listed above, lesbians and other sapphic women have held large supporting roles and had many of their own small character arcs.

That being said, queer women as side characters has unintentionally become a micro-cliche as a result. This typecast of queer female characters can even  be found in a lot of modern straight films and media as well. Granted these stories usually handle their queer women much worse than media which centers queer men. That being said, queer women as side characters has unintentionally become a micro-cliche as a result.

With this influx of queer women as side characters over the past decade, it can be easy to assume that the demographic is actually represented quite frequently on screen. What this assumption doesn’t account for however, is that in only delegating queer women to side character roles and prescribing that as ‘good enough’ representation,  is that it ignores representation completely.

Having a lesbian or other sapphic woman on screen doesn’t automatically translate to a proper depiction of what it is to be a queer woman. And stories about queer men shouldn’t be treated as if they are blanket representation for every single queer person, especially when men and women are expected to live up to vastly different romantic and societal standards. In regulating queer women to side character roles, their unique experiences are often sidelined as well. It is what also makes this past summer so monumental to the queer media that is being released today.

For those who might not know, over the past few months we have seen a record number of releases and project announces for tv shows, movies, and short films centered around sapphic women. Most notably is of course, Bridgerton season five’s main couple: Francesca Bridgerton and  Michaela Stirling. Though  very well known for its depictions of straight romances, the fact that the showrunners are depicting a relationship such as this one is revolutionary.

This summer has also seen the release of two major films, with Girls Like Girls and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Many tv shows and anime have also either been announced or released this summer with famous Mangas such as The Guy She was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All (also known as ‘Green Yuri’) set to be put to screen early next year. Fans of Adventure.

In making stories centred around sapphic women, it doesn’t just open the doors for more kinds of representation, it also opens the door for more interesting stories - many of which have never been put to screen.