Netflix Releases ‘Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration’ for Pride Month
Netflix released Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration last week, and it is an amazingly historic comedy special. The lineup was jam-packed with a wide array of queer icons. There is someone for everyone to enjoy, whether it’s Bob the Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel, Billy Eichner and Mae Martin, or Wanda Sykes and Rosie O’Donnell.
The special had such a diverse cast—We rarely see this many queer folks for a TV production, let alone on a streaming platform.
Stand Out really was a celebration of queerness. The comics celebrated their identities, their relationships, their marriages, and more. They also took the time to celebrate being here and being queer despite the numerous obstacles the community has faced and continues to face to this day. Marsha Warfield, the actress of Mask, spoke about coming out in her 60s. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, Marsha said that no one talked about being gay.
On the other hand, Margaret Cho shares a funny retelling of when she was gay-bashed in the 80s but managed to get away.
Many comics shared more LGBTQ history and highlighted how far we’ve come and how much we have left to go not just in legislature but in media as well.
Netflix’s track record with the LGBTQ community, specifically with transgender individuals, has been pretty messy. Between canceling queer-led shows and greenlighting Dave Chapelle’s transphobic comedy special, Netflix’s actions have let us know that they don’t keep the queer audience in mind. Billy Eichner had something to say about that, stating, “Queer people, and especially trans people, are under legislative attack in this country. Trans people are being demeaned. They’re trying to dehumanize trans people. They’re trying to erase trans people. And I’m not even talking about Florida. I’m talking about Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special!”
Stand Out was a breath of fresh air for queer individuals to see so many of us on-screen celebrating the community we love and still being able to poke fun at each other. The Stand Out comedy special ended this a beautifully gay musical number. Rosie O’Donnell and Trixie Mattel led everyone on stage and in the crowd through “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper to wrap up the night.
Watch Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration on Netflix for a good laugh this Pride Month.
Photo courtesy of Netflix on Instagram
