The Queer as Folk Reboot

Previously as an 18 year old gay boy, there really wasn’t much particularly great gay films to watch. Love, Simon was if Disney could make their own gay film (it technically is under Disney), in that it’s PG, cringe, and unrelatable most of the time (though that’s just my opinion). Other modern gay films I’ve watched were just shorts, while movie lengthed ones were either low quality, or disappointing throughout. And that’s mostly because I had the pleasure of watching the Showtime Queer as Folk (QaF).

I’m not a sophisticated gay, so for me, QaF with its cast of white gay guys, some lesbians, and a twink, along with its unyielding sex scenes and a compelling enough story was certainly entertaining to me. It was surprising to me in that it was made in 2000-2005, considering how unapologetic it was (especially with Brian’s ‘slur’ on heterosexuals: Breeders). Spoiler alert for what comes below, if you’ve never seen the Showtime QaF.

Finishing it was a wild ride, save for my immense disappointment that Brian and Justin didn’t end up ‘marrying’, 😢. Again, there have been few gay films afterwards that I thought were great, but finishing QaF still left a bit of a void in my gay film journey. That was despite the fact the showtime QaF had some flaws, which to me gets a pass for how revolutionary and ‘old’ it is. It lacked diversity, in regards to the very large spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as racial (I don’t think there was a single, notable black character).

The Queer as Folk Reboot can of course improve on that, and having watched some of its episodes (and just seeing the cast), there’s plenty of color, even more queerness, and a transgender actor that plays a transgender character. Just like with Showtime’s, the reboot has all the sex scenes; definitely not lacking in that department. Drug usage is more or less the same; I really wish the LGBTQ+ community in its entirety would dump cigarettes, yuck. And there’s tragedy, much earlier on than would occur in the Showtime QaF: A mass shooting, and modern day homophobia (Trump era homophobia, which includes militant groups, white supremacists, almost all Republicans).

I have yet to finish the show, but so far, the new QaF just isn’t my crowd — I’m talking about millennials. Yes, I’m young, but I think I’m devoid of most of the immaturity and cringeness that most millennials seem to possess. I’m particularly sad that Brian’s counterpart, Brodie, is an immature, selfish brat. Brian was definitely a selfish character, but he certainly had maturity, and was obviously the top dog. Oh well.