Category: Culture
Celebrate transgender creativity, identity, and representation in media, art, literature, gaming, fashion, music, and online culture. This section examines how trans people shape and influence culture while spotlighting creators, trends, and community conversations.
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The Best Transmasculine Comics to Add to Your TBR List
Explore the best transmasculine comics, graphic novels, webcomics, and manga! Find essential reading recommendations and key facts. -
5 Cozy Transgender Movies to Watch After Pride Month
Pride Month is over, but transgender stories deserve attention throughout the entire year. Here are our recommendations for cozy transgender movies to enjoy while recovering from Pride.
Looking for a more comprehensive list of the best transgender movies of all time? Check out our trans cinema list.
Table of Contents
- Boy Meets Girl: A Heartwarming Trans Rom-Com
- Will & Harper: An Intimate, Bittersweet Road Trip Documentary
- Cowboys: A Rural Montana Drama with a Happy Ending
- Tangerine: A Vibrant, Fast-Paced Indie Comedy
- Nimona: A Cozy, Animated Anti-Hero Story
- More Cozy Transgender Movies to Stream & Honorable Mentions
- Frequently Asked Questions
Boy Meets Girl: A Heartwarming Trans Rom-Com
Boy Meets Girl is a heartwarming romantic comedy directed by Eric Schaeffer in 2014 that avoids sob stories and tragedy common to transgender stories. Michelle Hendley (an actual transgender woman) plays Ricky, a small-town barista with big dreams of becoming a NYC fashion designer.
It sounds like a cliché Hallmark movie, but Boy Meets Girl is beloved by trans folks because our media lacks cozy clichés.
Boy Meets Girl features transfeminine representation and is rated R by the Motion Picture Association. As of July 2026, it has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Tubi, Fandango, Disney+/Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV. We recommend viewers watch Boy Meets Girl on Tubi for free.
Will & Harper: An Intimate, Bittersweet Road Trip Documentary
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele filmed a 17-day road trip from New York City to Los Angeles in 2024, documenting their new friendship now that Harper has medically transitioned. Will & Harper is both bittersweet and heartfelt, praised by critics for being incredibly intimate.
Will Ferrell is a big name for most Americans, and his role draws in audiences who would be unlikely to watch transgender media. Will and Harper’s back-and-forth comedy and relationship break up harsher realities within the film, like current anti-transgender legislation and hate speech.
Will & Harper features transfeminine representation and is rated R by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can only be watched on Netflix.
Cowboys: A Rural Montana Drama with a Happy Ending
Cowboys is a 2020 drama written and directed by Anna Kerrigan, focusing on the complicated relationship dynamic Joe has with his mother, Sally, and father, Troy. After being released from prison, Troy agrees to accompany Joe and escape to Canada to find a better life.
The film’s title comes from Joe’s infatuation with Western cowboys and its setting in rural Montana. Some parts of Cowboys hurt, like Joe’s relationship with Sally – but it’s well-received since it features a transgender lead actor as Joe and a happy ending to tie everything together.
Cowboys features transmasculine representation and is not rated by the MPA, although Common Sense Media recommends it for ages 15 and older. As of July 2026, it has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Tubi, Philo, CW, Amazon Prime, Fandango, YouTube, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV. We recommend that viewers watch Cowboys on Tubi for free.
Tangerine: A Vibrant, Fast-Paced Indie Comedy
When Sin-Dee is released from jail, she discovers that her pimp and boyfriend Chester has been cheating on her – prompting her to take her friend Alexandra and search Los Angeles for him. Tangerine was directed by Sean Baker in 2015 and features transgender actresses Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor.
Sin-Dee and Alexandra are transgender sex workers, so Tangerine presents a lot of hard moments despite being a comedy. It’s a reality that many transgender women of color are forced to endure. Altogether, Tangerine is a gem amongst 2010s indie films.
Tangerine features transfeminine representation and is rated R by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Tubi, Philo, Pluto, Fandango, Xumo, Amazon Prime, fuboTV, YouTube, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV. We recommend that viewers watch Tangerine on Tubi for free.
Nimona: A Cozy, Animated Anti-Hero Story
Based on ND Stevenson’s comic, Nick Bruno and Troy Quane directed Nimona in 2023 as an animated full-length film in partnership with Netflix. After its initial release, Nimona became popular in queer spaces for featuring an openly queer lead character.
The film’s title comes from its co-protagonist, Nimona. After witnessing Ballister kill Queen Valerin, Nimona seeks him out as a kindred spirit. They’re a classic antihero, shapeshifter, and nonbinary. The ultimate story behind Nimona is acceptance and challenging rigid boxes.
Nimona features nonbinary representation and is rated PG by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can only be watched on Netflix.
More Cozy Transgender Movies to Stream & Honorable Mentions
If you want even more recommendations, the following films are fantastic follow-ups while you’re recovering from Pride Month. Check out our full list for more transgender films.
Barbie: Self-Identification & Gender Roles
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie isn’t necessarily transgender, but lots of transgender people connect with the movie. Doctor Barbie is played by transgender actress Hari Nef, but she’s a side character. Transgender people relate to Barbie because it centers around self-identification.
Stereotypical Barbie breaks away from Barbieland to define herself, but she and Ken have to navigate real-life gender roles, the exhaustion of womanhood, and fragile masculinity. A lot of people have written great essays on the intersections of Barbie and transness – like M Canvas, GenderGP, BinaryThis, and Tilly’s Trans Tuesdays.
Barbie is rated PG-13 by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Amazon Prime, HBO Max, YouTube, Disney+/Hulu, Sling TV, Roku Channel, Fandango, and Apple TV.
Fanfic: A Gritty Transmasculine Coming-of-Age Story
Fanfic is a Polish coming-of-age melodrama directed by Marta Karwowska in 2023 based on Natalia Osińska’s novel. After meeting Leon, Tosiek starts a 95-minute-long journey understanding his gender identity as a transgender boy.
Fanfic is an honorable mention because it’s not a super cozy watch, but it’s a solid film. Karwowska has to toe the line between telling Tosiek’s story and becoming fuel for anti-transgender Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria fanatics. Given that Fanfic stars actual transgender actor Alin Szewczyk, it’s been well-received within transmasculine communities.
Fanfic features transmasculine representation and is rated NC-17 by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can only be watched on Netflix.
Kiki’s Delivery Service: Finding Chosen Family & Your Authentic Self
Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of Studio Ghibli’s classic films, directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 1989. It’s not written explicitly about transgender or queer identity, but transgender people resonate with Kiki’s Delivery Service’s themes around leaving home to become one’s authentic self.
Kiki’s magical identity is constantly at odds with the world around her because she’s so fundamentally different. After leaving home, she’s forced to find chosen family with Osono and Ursula as she searches for belonging. As a whole, Kiki’s Delivery Service explores independence, identity, community, and burnout.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is rated G by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Amazon Prime, Disney+/Hulu, Roku Channel, HBO Max, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Fandango, and Apple TV.
Venus: A Multi-Layered Immigrant & Transition Story
In Eisha Marjara’s 2017 comedy-drama, Sid is an Indian-Canadian transgender woman who discovers she has a 14-year-old son just as she’s come out publicly about her gender identity. Venus is built like a soap opera, tying in Sid’s experiences as a woman of color and child of immigrants.
Although I’m not a fan of cisgender male actor Debargo Sanyal portraying Sid as a transgender woman, director Marjara clearly had genuine intentions when creating Sid’s story. Venus includes many aspects of early transition, but it also shines as an immigrant story through Sid’s relationships with her son and parents.
Venus features transfeminine representation. Although Venus is not rated by the MPA, it is commonly associated with an R rating due to mature themes. As of July 2026, it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Tubi, Amazon Prime, Fandango, YouTube, Google Play Movies, and Apple TV. We recommend viewers watch Venus on Tubi for free.
Everything Everywhere All at Once: Accepting Queerness & Rejecting Binaries
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a 2022 action sci-fi film directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, centered around Chinese immigrant Evelyn Quan Wang. Although transness isn’t a focal point of the movie, it’s another movie that many transgender people connect with.
Evelyn’s daughter Joy’s queerness is an internal conflict as Evelyn fights to connect with Joy and traditional nuclear family values. The characters subvert stereotypical gender roles and the overarching theme of Everything Everywhere All at Once is about acceptance, familial love, and rejecting binary thinking. It’s a very surreal movie, but it’s also incredibly heartwarming.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is rated R by the MPA. As of July 2026, it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and can be watched on Tubi, Pluto TV, PLEX, YouTube, Disney+/Hulu, Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango, and Apple TV. We recommend viewers watch Everything Everywhere All at Once on Tubi for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch highly rated transgender movies for free?
You don’t need a dozen paid subscriptions to stream incredible transgender films. Many highly acclaimed films, such as Boy Meets Girl, Cowboys, and Tangerine, are available to watch entirely for free on Tubi. Other free streaming platforms include Pluto, Roku Channel, Xumo, and Plex.
Are there family-friendly transgender movies?
Yes, although there are not many films that are openly transgender due to anti-transgender moral panic. Some family-friendly transgender movies include Nimona, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, Tomboy, and Wendell & Wild.
Why do mainstream films like Kiki’s Delivery Service appeal to transgender audiences?
Even if transgender identity is not explicitly mentioned in mainstream films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Barbie, transgender audiences gravitate towards mirrored experiences.
Anti-transgender moral panic and the Hays Code restrict openly transgender films and positive depictions of transgender identity. Many people don’t explore independent film, so they resonate with mainstream stories that resemble the transgender experience.
Why is authentic transgender casting so important in film?
Authentic transgender casting is critically important because film shapes societal empathy and expectations. Many people assume they do not know any transgender people in real-life while simultaneously absorbing media.
Most people do not engage with media literacy to think critically about how negative portrayals of transgender people impact how they internally feel about transgender identity. Cisgender writers, directors, and actors are more likely to focus on wrongful deception, voyeuristic fetishization, and anti-transgender punchlines because they cannot meaningfully connect to the transgender experiences they are portraying.
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10 Awesome Halloween Costumes for Trans Men 2025
Halloween is nearly upon us. Compared to any other holiday, Halloween is unofficially the most beloved day of the year for LGBTQIA+ people. This week’s post features some of the best and most reliable costume ideas for transmasculine folks.
Why do queer people love Halloween, anyway?
There isn’t a single reason, but several key ideas. The most popular theory is that Halloween provides an excellent excuse for LGBTQIA+ people to transgress traditional gender roles and expression.
For the majority of US history, individuals were criminalized for crossdressing – but Halloween provided a singular day out of the year that anyone could bend the rules. With enough confidence, Halloween afforded people in the past the perfect excuse to crossdress for an assumed laugh.
Today, we live in a society where we are freer to express our gender identity regardless of sex assigned at birth – although these rights are under attack by religious fundamentalists. Yet, Halloween still provides comfort since it embodies the spirit of exploration. It’s a costume, you’re dressing up; you’re entitled to have fun with it.
One final reason LGBTQIA+ may gravitate towards Halloween is that queer people are statistically more likely to identify as pagan. Compared to other religions, paganism, Wicca, and universalist beliefs have a stable history of being inclusive towards LGBTQIA+ identities.
Fundamentalist Christians despise Halloween because it’s the most outwardly pagan holiday still commonly celebrated (and not co-opted by Christianity). Even if you don’t identify with witchy beliefs, there’s something quaint about witchcraft that draws queer folks in.
Top Halloween Costumes for Transgender Men
Author’s Note:
Clothing, on its own, does not have any inherent gender. It’s fabric composed of various natural and synthetic fibers. On the other hand, humans have associated specific styles with gender for thousands of years – but these associations vary based on time and place.
Clothing has no gender. It is possible to still feel a certain way about clothing due to our gendered notions of clothing, and therefore possible to feel dysphoric because clothing may not affirm our gender identity. These two statements can coexist. Further, you’re not less authentic or transgender because you like or dislike specific styles.1. Pop Culture Icons
Later in this list, I’ll go over specific trends for 2025 – this section is related to generic characters, actors, and other entities. You can dress up as literally anyone or anything. Don’t let this list (or any list, for that matter) stop you from having a good time.
Queer people make fantastic fanbases. We hyperfixate and gravitate towards content more heavily than general audiences (Is it autism? Well, correlation isn’t causation.). This category includes characters from any media format, like anime, television, film, comics, and books. These are all fair choices and provide a bonus that you’ll feel especially connected to this costume.
The only caveat to these costumes is that the more obscure or less-known your content is, there is lower the chance people will recognize or understand your costume. Be prepared to explain it. Over and over. If you’re going for a costume to lend towards passing, obscure costumes won’t add much since there’s no recognizability factor.
2. Can’t Go Wrong with the Classics
Halloween costumes are generally less diverse for men compared to women. In the words of Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Feminine costumes range without limits (“A sexy quint from sexy Jaws catching sexy sharks, sexy Eleanor Roosevelt or sexy Rosa Parks, I can be a sexy pirate or a sexy ballet dancer. I can be a sexy doctor and cure some sexy cancer!”).
The most traditional costumes for men include vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and Frankenstein. All of these costumes have a distinct masculine association that can invoke gender euphoria – so they’re fairly common picks amongst transmasculine folks.
Frankenstein resonates with the transgender notion of building oneself and body dysphoria. Werewolves remind us of transformation, transition, and the feeling of being at home (or not) in one’s body. Monsters, as a whole, compare similarly to how transgender people feel isolated, misunderstood, and ostracized by society.
3. Your Favorite Cryptid <3
Folktakes fascinate everyone. Likely due to queer people being grouped with sexual deviancy over the centuries, LGBTQIA+ people are more kink positive – which includes the “monster f*cker” category.
Cryptids have become popular throughout the past decade, with entities like the Babadook and Mothman gaining significant fans. In a sense, these characters are new-age monsters compared to tired classics from the 1800s, which is part of the allure. Given their current cultural relevance, a decent number of people will recognize your costume.
4. Marvel or DC?
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a costume more “boy” than superheroes. There’s something remarkably masculine about them, and even if there are valid criticisms regarding the superhero film industry, most of these characters are literally made to become costumes.
However, there is one major aspect to keep in mind here. Most superhero costumes are more boyish rather than inherently masculine. The classics (Superman, Batman, Thor, Iron Man, etc.) are going to be considered childish due to how they’re already marketed. Instead, consider superhero costumes marketed towards adult men – like Deadpool and Wolverine (which are both topical this year due to their 2024 release).
5. Howdy, Cowboy!
The Wild West offers a wealth of costumes to choose from, and cowboys have a unique queer history from those early years on the frontier. The occupation and time allowed individuals to live outside large-scale judgment back home, which lent itself to the lawless atmosphere we most associate with “the wild west.” Even in more modern depictions like Brokeback Mountain, cowboys are afforded enough seclusion to live more authentically while traveling from place to place for work.
There’s something incredibly boyish about it all, which may be one reason transmasculine people romanticize the Wild West. At its core, cowboys revolve around rugged individualism. It’s also a predominantly male occupation, so cowboy costumes are fairly easy to pass in.
6. Mr. Pedro Pascal
He’s been in the Hollywood spotlight for the past couple of years, which has polarized American audiences into either loving or hating him.
Most known for his work on The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, Pedro embodies the healthy masculinity that transmasculine people seek. He’s also gone on the record as an unapologetic transgender ally. And, regardless of his role, Pedro is identifiable, which makes all of his characters and persona easy to costume.
7. Into the Wasteland
With its new live-action television series, Fallout is back in the public eye with a new influx of its fanbase. Fallout, Mad Max, and similar content all fall into a general dystopian sci-fi apocalypse category – which inspires many with gender envy and euphoria. Gender expression in these futures is always less strict than reality and still offers fantasy-based escapism. After all, these realities present dire circumstances where gender identity and roles matter little compared to nuclear war and the apocalypse.
There’s also some joke about how much transgender people love Fallout: New Vegas, buuuut that’s getting off-topic.
8. Are You Kenough?
The Barbie movie may have come out two years ago, but it still has a strong fanbase. People either loved or hated it – but the film focused on a lot of social justice issues that drew in queer audiences. As the main male character, Ken has a complicated relationship with masculinity while standing in Barbie’s shadow.
The entire film is about self-discovery and finding one’s authentic identity in a mass-marketed world. Regardless, Ken offers a wealth of costume ideas that range from complex and fabulous to simple outfits that are easy to throw together.
9. Rock Out!
We’ve returned to an era where male rock stars are becoming looser with gender expression based on current fashion trends. Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud, and Bad Bunny toy with gender expression and societal expectations similarly to male stars in the 1980s.
During that time period, gender-bending glam fashion and androgyny were at their peak. David Bowie, Prince, and Freddie Mercury were just a handful of a (then) new music scene that rebelled against the status quo of gender. And given these factors, rock star personas are relatively easy for transgender people to use as costumes since they’re highly recognizable and simpler to pass in.
10. Or Simply Go Meta
If you’ve got a sense of humor and don’t want to go all out with any of the above costumes, you could go with something self-referential. Wear a button or pin that says “Trans Icon” or “GOP Nightmare Fuel.” Get a shirt with “I’m the scary transgender person the media warned you about” or “Boo! Transgender!” written on it. You’ll get points for cleverness, but these costumes are understandably less interesting than others.
Remember: You can dress up as literally anyone or anything. These are just suggestions to get you inspired.
As a final note, make sure you put comfort first when deciding a Halloween costume. Physical and emotional comfort will play a massive role in whether your Halloween will turn out well – so weigh the pros and cons between creativity, safety, and dysphoria.
If you regularly bind, make sure your body is able to handle several hours of compression while you’re out. And lastly, Halloween is the hallmark of autumn, which means it’s easier to layer outfits. Many guys mistakenly believe baggy clothes will help them pass better, but the more effective route is layering your outfit to successfully hide curves that may cause gender dysphoria.
Looking for more educational guides?
Browse Trans Solidarity Project’s guides, or check out these posts: