Elle, Forbidden Fruits and X-Men in slutty little outfits

X-Men 97, the show that gave us Gambit in a crop-top, that gave us Magneto in slutty little pants, is back next week on July 1st for season two.

Am I made of metal because I'm feeling very attracted to the Master of Magnetism right now.

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Queer and Now

Everything new in the world of queer TV and film

— The Legally Blonde prequel Elle is out next week and it is gay in ways I'm not yet allowed to describe. No, not just because Bruiser is a canonically gay Chihuahua.

I'm not allowed to speak to the quality of the show yet either, so all I can do for now is suggest you watch it on Prime Video the second it drops from July 1. What? Like it's hard?

— Forbidden Fruits stars an alarming number of hot women in a mean girl coven, many of whom are queer themselves or have become known for playing sapph at the drop of a hat.

You're gonna put queens like Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti and Gabrielle Union in a camp witch movie and not expect it to become my favourite film of all time?

Check out this cunty cult classic in the making on Shudder from today.

— Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Bouchra tells the story of a queer Moroccan jackal torn between her life in NYC and family back home in Casablanca, reckoning with identity struggles and romantic interests alike. Oh, and it's animated.

Check out this unapologetically queer experimental marvel playing at The Metrograph in New York right now.

— Set in 90s Saigon, Skin of Youth follows a trans sex worker named San who's saving up for gender-affirming surgery with help from her underground cage fighter boyfriend.

As the first Vietnamese feature to star a trans lead, Ash Mayfair's sophomore effort is as groundbreaking as it is special. Watch Skin of Youth on Film Movement online from today.

— Survival of the Thickest returns for its third and final season on Netflix from July 2 and I will be seated because Michelle Buteau's rom-com series is such an underrated delight.

As Buteau told Pride, she's worked hard to make sure Survival of the Thickest is a love letter to her friends and "the oddy bodies and fatty baddies in the queer community". Let's continue to support her like she's supported us.

37 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2026 Ranked (so far)

Plus where to watch them

In need of something new and extremely gay to watch? Look no further than my ranking of the 37 best LGBTQ+ movies released this year so far.

Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.

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Queer Awakenings

You know, the hotties who "turned" you gay.

Being gay is NOT a choice. How do I know? Because I was always going to be gay after seeing this as a kid.

Gambit's cajun spice sure did a number on me watching the X-Men cartoon as a kid.

So did Cyclops. For reasons.

Hell, the cuntography served by Storm, Rogue and Jean combined changed my brain chemistry forever. These gay ass divas. I just can't with them.

It's no wonder I choreographed a whole goddamn dance to these opening credits as a kid.

While I'm here doing gay shit, I should also mention that A. J. LoCascio, the new voice behind Gambit, is fine as hell too.

If I play my cards right, maybe I can play around with that staff of his sometime. Mon Dieu!

Reply with your own Queer Awakenings or email me at: cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.

Out Takes

Queer hidden gems you need to see

Shot across five years, The Last Year of Darkness (2023) chronicles a group of DJs, ravers, drag performers and skaters who all found themselves and each other in the world of Funky Town, a queer underground club in Chengdu.

In this neon-drenched love letter, American director Ben Mullinkosson intimately captures the euphoric joy of China's alternative club scene, a place where outsiders can be who they want to be.

In one scene, two partygoers chat about meditation while a girl casually throws up in front of them. Another delivers the iconic words "I’m so grateful that I’ve sucked so many dicks… I don’t even remember how many," which is delivered with deep deadpan sincerity.

The Last Year of Darkness brilliantly encapsulates that time in your early twenties when vomiting and regretful hookups align with profound realisations about your place in the world.

But not everything is positive. "From throwing up to growing up," The Last Year of Darkness also doesn't hold back from the painful reality of life for these twenty-something misfits.

Midway through, a skater/musician nicknamed 647 casually recounts his parental trauma while drag performer Yihao laments their chosen career with deeply sad, troubling words: "Doing drag will give you AIDS, which will make your life miserable. It will also make your family not understand you, and people around you will not support you."

This documentary’s focus on the very real people who live in China and the relatable lives they lead is quietly revolutionary, especially when it comes to those whose very existence as queer Chinese people is subversive by default.

That will be the lasting legacy of Funky Town, forever immortalised in this doc now that the club itself is sadly no more.

Check out where you can watch The Last Year of Darkness at this link below.

The Last Year of Darkness - watch streaming online

How and where to watch “The Last Year of Darkness” online on Netflix and Prime Video – including free options.

JustWatch

39 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of 2026 Ranked (so far)

Plus where to watch them

Do you want gay shit? Of course you do. Do you want to spend hours looking for it? Obviously not. Thankfully, I'm here to help with this ranking of the 39 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.

Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.

And just like that, we've come to the end of Cruising Cinema today. As a thank you for making it this far, here's Jonathan Bailey with a reminder to drink your milk. See you next Tuesday!

Remember to share your own Queer Awakenings for future editions by replying to this email or via cruisingcinema7@gmail.com. And don't forget to follow the newsletter on Twitter here, Instagram here and Facebook here and Letterboxd here.

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