It’s Father’s Day this weekend (June 20), and it falls during Pride Month 2021.
LGBTQ+ representation on-screen has come leaps and bounds in recent years.
Gay people are finally beginning to see themselves on screen, sometimes for the first time after years of poorly-written characters and stereotypical tropes.
However, when it comes to gay dads, there’s actually not been as many on-screen as you may think.
While there’s certainly room for more, here are the handful that many LGBTQ+ people fondly remember.
The Birdcage (Amazon Prime)
This ahead of its time movie stars the late Robin Williams as Albert, the owner of a gay cabaret club.
After his son falls in love with a girl who has right-wing conservative parents, Albert and his drag queen husband pretend to be straight to hilarious and heartwarming consequences.
It’s a sweet tale about embracing who you truly are, and not allowing others to change you no matter what.
Read more: Pride Month: The greatest LGBTQ+ characters in British soap
Modern Family (Netflix)
Cameron and Mitchell quickly became a huge hit with viewers after the comedy turned into an unexpected breakout hit.
Arguably the most famous gay characters in years, the two share an incredibly sweet relationship with their adopted child Lily.
They have all the ups and downs other families experience and showed an entirely new generation that gay or straight, all children need are loving parents.
Six Feet Under (Amazon)
Long before Modern Family, Six Feet Under was one of the first shows on network television to feature gay parents.
David and Keith’s appearance on the critically acclaimed dark comedy helped normalise the idea of gay men being in a relationship many in America’s heartland.
In the final season, the happy couple adopted a pair of brothers and finally became the family they had always dreamed of.
Love, Simon (Disney+)
OK, so Simon’s father wasn’t actually gay, but he was an ally. As we know, for many LGBTQ+ people growing up, we didn’t have the father figure we may have hoped for.
However, Love Simon did something incredible. First of all, it was the first-ever mainstream rom-com about a gay teenager. Secondly, it didn’t centre his story in trauma like LGBTQ+ people have been used to for years when it comes to representation.
Instead, Simon had a wonderfully supportive father who didn’t for a second make him feel anything but normal.
The Family Stone (Amazon)
One of the most underrated Christmas movies around, The Family Stone focuses on an uptight businesswoman (Sarah Jessica Parker). She travels to her fiance’s family home to meet the family, but sadly things quickly go haywire.
One of her fiance’s brothers is gay, and at the dinner table, they reveal they have adopted a baby girl. A “nature or nurture” debate ensues, and the resulting scene demonstrates so beautifully how people, both gay and straight, should respond to casual homophobia.
My Straight Son (Amazon)
This one focuses on the story of a gay man who doesn’t even consider fatherhood until it’s struck upon him after a personal tragedy.
Diego, a young and successful photographer, is distraught when his boyfriend falls into a coma. He quickly realises he must care for his partner’s son, and the pair slowly begin to form a father-son bond that neither expected.
It’s a heartwarming look at the life of a single gay dad, a perspective rarely seen in the media.
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