Interested in combining a love for queer novels, shows, and movies, but don’t know where to start? Look no further; here is a list of 13 queer books adapted for the screen, whether it be shows or movies that we can’t stop rewatching or ones we’re counting down to. 

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proloux
Release: January 13, 2006 | Director: Ang Lee

Starting our list of books adapted for the screen is Brokeback Mountain, which tells the tumultuous story of rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) as they fall in love on Brokeback Mountain. Set in 1963, the two men keep their love affair a secret over the course of 20 years. Brokeback Mountain is a good option for fans of extreme angst and longing.

The film is based on the 1997 short story by Annie Proloux originally published in The New Yorker. The popularity of Brokeback Mountain has even led to a theatre adaptation.  

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
Release: January 18, 2018 | Director: Luca Guadagnino

Somewhere in Northern Italy is where our next queer book adapted to a movie takes place. In the summer of 1983, Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) meets his father’s doctoral student intern, Oliver (Armie Hammer). Over the summer, Elio and Oliver become infatuated with one another, exploring their sexualities along the way. Call Me By Your Name is a great choice for fans of visually aesthetic films, coming-of-age stories, and lovers of Sufjan Stevens’ music. Call Me By Your Name is not without its controversies, as critics point out the seven-year age gap between 17-year-old Elio and 24-year-old Oliver. 

Call Me By Your Name is considered to be incredibly accurate to the book originally written by André Aciman. Published in 2007, it follows an incredibly narrative style of writing as dialogue is used sparingly, rather focusing on Elio’s inner thoughts and obsessions.  

Enigma Variations by André Aciman
Release: TBD | Director: Luca Guadagnino
Another adaptation by author Andre Aciman is set to be released in the coming years. Enigma Variations follows Paul (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he navigates life and romantic relationships. The novel is told through five interconnected sections as bisexual Paul falls in and out of love. Much like Call Me By Your Name, Enigma Variations relies on a stream of consciousness narrative with little dialogue. It’s a slower-paced novel. 

The book was picked up by Netflix in early 2025, but not much news has been released about the adaptation yet.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Release: July 22, 2023 | Director: Matthew Lopez

Produced by Prime Video, Red, White & Royal Blue follows the relationship between the first son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and the prince of England, Henry (Nicholas Galzentine). The two must keep their relationship a secret as they face a re-election campaign, the royal protocol, and the potential fallout between their two nations. Red, White & Royal Blue is optimal for lovers of witty stories with happy endings.    

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Release: November 28, 2025 | Director: Jacob Tierney

The first book adapted to a series on this list, Heated Rivalry exploded into popularity over the past year. Heated Rivalry follows a decade-long, enemies-to-lovers romantic relationship between professional hockey players, Russia’s Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storey) and Canada’s Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams).

Ilya and Shane’s relationship is told through three separate books in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid, with Heated Rivalry beginning the story and the Long Game continuing it. Book three, Unrivaled, is set to release in mid-2027.

The highly anticipated second season is currently in production and is expected to be released in mid-2027.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Release: TBD | Director: Anna Kendrick
Great for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six, another one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books adapted into a series, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, is currently in development with Netflix. The novel, written as a biography, tells the fictional life story of Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo as she recounts her seven marriages. All of them end for one reason or another, and Evelyn comes out as bisexual and reveals that the true love of her life is actress Celia St. James. 

The film is highly anticipated as Netflix picked up the rights in 2022. Anna Kendrick is set to direct The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but no other details have been released yet. 

Blue is the Warmest Colour by Jul Maroh
Release: October 9, 2013 | Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Based on the comic book, French film Blue is the Warmest Colour is a lesbian coming-of-age story that follows 15-year-old Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) as she falls in love with an older woman named Emma (Léa Seydoux). The relationship spans from Adèle’s high school years to her early adult life and career. This is another film shrouded in controversy, due to the inappropriate relationship between the director and the lead actors. 

Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Release: April 6, 2018 | Director: Greg Berlanti

Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda is one of the book-to-movie adaptations on this list that doesn’t carry the same name over to the film. Love, Simon is a story about closeted 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) as he falls in love with an anonymous classmate online. It’s a heartfelt coming-of-age story. 

Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
Release: February 18, 2023 | Director: Paul B. Preciado

Orlando, My Political Biography tells stories of transition through unique reenactments and visual interpretations of Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel. It combines memoir and literary critique in a powerful way, allowing gender diverse people the space to share their experiences. The film won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary at the Berlinale.

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Release: April 22, 2022 | Director: Euros Lyn and Andy Newberry

Incredibly popular Netflix series (and now film) Heartstopper is a coming-of-age story that follows British teenagers Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). The unlikely pair’s relationship blossoms into a romance over the course of three seasons.  

Heartstopper is a graphic novel that has six volumes. 

The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White
Release: October 9, 2025 | Creator: Andy White

The second queer book adaptation that does not keep the same name, The Pink Marine, was picked up by Netflix and turned into an eight-episode series called Boots. While only loosely based on The Pink Marine, Boots follows US Marine Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer) as he goes through basic training as a closeted gay man during the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era.

The show was unfortunately cancelled after just one season.  

Queer by William S Burroughs
Release: September 3, 2024 | Director: Luca Guadagnino

Set in 1950s Mexico City and Ecuador, Queer follows American immigrant William Lee (Daniel Craig) as he becomes infatuated and obsessed with young GI Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). The film is structured in three sections, followed by an epilogue.

In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue
Release: September 2, 2016 | Director: Barry Jenkins

Although not a direct page-to-screen adaptation, Moonlight is derived from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished autobiographical play. The film follows a Black man as he navigates his sexuality throughout his life, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.

Moonlight made history as the first LGBTQ+ film to win the Oscar Award for Best Picture in 2017.

These are just some of the incredible screen adaptations of LGBTQ+ books. If we’ve missed your favourite, let us know at [email protected].