The pandemic has stripped us of our LGBTQ+ spaces. Until they return, television can help fill the void
Aside from the emotional heft and resonant politics of It’s a Sin, the show filled a space in my heart usually nourished by the queer community that in normal times would offer me a sense of belonging in an overwhelmingly, and at times aggressively straight world. That community usually means particular cafes, pubs and dancefloors; it means parks in warm weather and ratty venues hosting accessible shows of all kinds. Sometimes, it just means walking down a busy city street and noticing a sprinkling of visibly queer siblings. You don’t make eye contact because that would be weird but it is proof that you and your kind exist.
But every physical manifestation of queer community has been snuffed out by the pandemic. And “online community” is such a poor substitute is for the real thing.