I really want to be able to read about and watch people that I can relate to and understand. Is there any suggestions for animes, movies, or books that contain LGBTQ+ characters?
There's a few stickied threads at the top of this linked page that includes LGBT music, books and movies Entertainment and Media - Empty Closets - A safe online community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people coming out
Most of Ferzan Ozpetek's movies feature gay characters as actual people rather than mere functions of their sexualities which most other gay movies do (also, the good thing about his movies is that the story doesn't revolve around the character being gay, it's just an aspect of them and effects how the plot affects them).
I've seen a few anime i could recommend; Junjou Romantica, No. 6, Strawberry Panic, Sekaichi Hatsukoi... There's a ton of yaoi and yuri out there, it's just a case of locating the good ones. (¬‿¬)
Yeah, most people don't, i guess. That's just fine. And, for most people that do like, it's treated as a guilty pleasure of sorts. Some people just like following the story of relationship, we enjoy the pairings and like to see two people together and it makes us happy to see. Shipping is kinda weird honestly, i don't really know why people do it, no one does tbh, but i am a shipper of sorts so i don't judge. But if i had to define it... I'd say it's kinda just the same as watching any other romance show or movie, just with animation and same-sex couples. And, of course, much more dedicated rabid content-creating fans. But it's totally understandable for you not to like/get it. Different people like different things, and just because someone can't understand something, doesn't mean it's bad or okay to hate on it, i guess. ┐(' _ ')┌ We're weirded out by ourselves, mate. It's totally fine. But we let ourselves like what we like.
I read a book last summer called I Am J, which is about a trans boy in New York and his transition. It was really good; J is a pretty stubborn character who has some misconceptions about LGBT people at the beginning of the story, but there are other characters who teach him. I'm not trans but I would say that if a trans person were going to read it, they should be warned about triggers - I feel like some things in the book might be triggering to a person depending on their experiences. Personally, I loved the movie Carol as well - it got some Oscar attention (though not the Best Picture nod it deserved because only movies with white straight protagonists get those?). It's about a young woman named Therese living in New York in the 50s, and she meets an older woman named Carol, and even though Therese sort of has a boyfriend and Carol is still finalizing her divorce they start up a relationship. I like the way the film treats their relationship - the fact that they're both women isn't just there for shock value, but their relationship is treated as a normal relationship. Like, Carol isn't really worried about what people will think about her divorcing her husband to be with Therese - she's just worried about losing her daughter. So the antagonists in the movie aren't really the homophobic men, but real circumstances that any couple could face.
The TV show Queer As Folk was good. The L Word was good for the first 3 seasons, then jumped the shark.
