The industry’s sanitised, sexless era has finally fizzled out.
The 2010s witnessed a sharp decline in erotic mainstream filmmaking as a result of increasing scrutiny from the internet (and sometimes, those within the industry) over whether sex scenes are necessary in driving the plot forward. Although billion dollar franchises didn’t hesitate to gratuitously flaunt actor’s ripped bodies – for example, Chris [insert any last name here, honestly] in [again, insert any superhero film] – general raunchiness took somewhat of a hiatus.
Now, TV and film is horny again! 2023 smashers such as Oscar-nominated dramas Poor Things and Oppenheimer and, of course, Emerald Fennell’s bathtub thriller Saltburn heavily contributed to the industry’s increasing acceptance towards on-screen raunchiness.
And, from an LGBTQIA+ perspective, the sex is better than ever. For a while, straight-washing intimate scenes between two queer characters was the norm. This past year, however, has seen the community engage in blow-jobs, rimming, anal, armpit-licking, toe-sucking and – this one’s important – levitation. The accuracy… wow.
Here, we’re celebrating the 10 best GBQ male sex scenes of the decade (so far) in television and film.
All of Us Strangers (Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott)
Paul Mescal telling Andrew Scott that he’s been “thinking about sucking” his “cock” is the queer art that Megami was saying we need to “protect” on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Give Megami her flowers! In Andrew Haigh’s fantasy romance All of Us Strangers, Adam, a screenwriter, falls for his cheeky and mysterious neighbour Harry at the same time as he discovers his long-dead parents seemingly alive and well in his childhood home. (A rather eventful week for one person, eh.) Scott and Mescal’s chemistry is indisputable, particularly in their first intimate scene. With the two actors passionately caressing each other’s thighs before Harry performs fellatio (we’re classy words, for now) on Adam, it’s steamy as hell, while also perfectly capturing the awkwardness and excitement of a first sexual encounter. Nude and sex scenes can often be gratuitous, but here, the sex is instrumental in depicting the blossoming romance between two rather lonely people. The Academy Awards are such a flop for snubbing this film.
Bros (Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane)
Whether you liked Bros or not, you can’t deny it delivers a rather accurate (and hilarious) depiction of how adventurous and kinky gay sex can be, especially with Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner’s dom-sub bedroom romp. After play-fighting leads to a smooch in a public park, Aaron (Macfarlane) and Bobby (Eichner) relocate their horniness to the former’s apartment, where he forces Eichner’s sardonic podcaster to lick his biceps before crushing his head and feeding him poppers. Penetrative sex is followed by a rather sweet conversation in which Aaron confides in Bobby about his dreams to be a chocolatier. That bit’s not important, but we liked it. For [insert really long time here], gay sex on-screen has been portrayed as somewhat similar to what the straights do – very false! – so it’s a breath of fresh air to see an intimate queer scene that not just kissing-missionary-cuddles.
Fellow Travelers (Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey)
As everyone knows, GAY TIMES is extremely passionate about advancing the rights of those within the toe-sucker community, and thankfully, Fellow Travelers brought the rather marginalised act to mainstream attention last year. Paramount’s period drama chronicles the volatile romance between two men over the course of four decades; from the Vietnam War protests of the 60s to the AIDS crisis of the 80s. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey’s names were plastered over headlines as a result of their plethora of intimate sex scenes (we are also guilty of this), which was embraced by showrunner Ron Nyswaner. He told us: “If people are talking about Fellow Travelers, that’s all I care about.” The most iconic sequence occurs within 20 minutes of the first episode, with the sub-dom dynamic of their respective characters Hawkins Fuller and Tim Laughlin on full display as Bailey devours Bomer’s foot. We repeat: devours. This is the gay sex representation we need and deserve. Rights for toe-suckers, now!
It’s A Sin (Olly Alexander and various)
As well as receiving praise for its poignant depiction of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, award-worthy performances and for bringing a significant part of LGBTQIA+ history to a mainstream audience, It’s A Sin was lauded for its portrayal of queer desire. While the drama heavily illustrates how society demonised gay sex during this era, the first episode boasts a rare portrayal of queer sexual liberation when Olly Alexander‘s free-spirit Richie Tozer is seen hooking up with various men in a now-iconic montage.
Interview with the Vampire (Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson)
The limp-wrist elements of Anne Rice’s iconic gothic horror novel Interview with the Vampire were finally embraced on-screen with AMC’s acclaimed series, as opposed to the disappointingly sanitised 1994 film with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Told from the perspective of Louis (Jacob Anderson), the series sees the bloodsucker recount his past life and toxic relationship with his sire and lover, Lestat (Sam Reid). In the first episode, the duo have a threesome with a sex worker called Ms. Lily, before fobbing her off to levitate in the air while Lestat sinks his fangs into Louis’ neck – butt naked, we should add. Bring on season two!
Passages (Ben Whishaw and Franz Rogowski)
For two consecutive minutes, Ben Whishaw’s backside is the main character of Passages as the actor passionately thrusts into co-star Franz Rogowski. With the one-take shot, absence of a musical score and the lack of fear in actually showing how two men boink (the placement of Rogwoski’s hand – the first time we’ve ever seen this in TV or film, actually), it’s one of the most believable sex scenes in history. The Motion Picture Association’s decision to rate the film NC-17 was condemned by fans and director Ira Sachs, who called it a “form of cultural censorship that is quite dangerous, particularly in a culture which is already battling, in such extreme ways, the possibility of LGBT imagery to exist”.
Red, White & Royal Blue (Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez)
Red, White & Royal Blue is one of the decade’s most popular LGBTQIA+ flicks (so far), because, y’know: Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez. Based on Casey McQuiston’s championed novel of the same name, the rom-com follows the star-crossed romance between Henry (Galitzine), a British Prince, and Alex, the son (Perez) of America’s first-ever female president (played by Kill Bill icon Uma Thurman!). From their Omar Apollo-assisted oral encounter to their secret horse-racing romp, the film was surprisingly faithful to the novel’s steamy hook-up scenes. But, it’s their first (penetrative) sex scene that is their most memorable and romantic. As director Matthew Lopez told us, it’s Alex and Henry “having a moment of deep, emotional connection”, and Galitzine and Zakhar Perez’s electric chemistry sells it every goddamn time. Can Prime Video announce the sequel already? This wait is… unnecessary.
Queer as Folk (Devin Way and Johnny Sibilly)
Although the Queer as Folk reboot was met with glowing reviews from critics for its more diverse representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, the public never warmed to the series and it was unjustly cancelled after one season. However, in time we expect the series to be retroactively appreciated for its unabashed portrayal of queer intimacy and desire. Creator and writer Stephen Dunn explained that it was important for him to go “full throttle” with all the sex to deliver “an authentic queer experience that is relatable for us”. While there’s plenty of love-making scenes we could highlight, the raunchiest is between Noah (Johnny Sibilly) and Brodie (Devin Way) in episode two. With the moody blue gleam, sweat trickling down Way’s backside and Sibilly holding onto his scene partner’s butt for dear life (am I an erotic writer now?), it’s the closest scene on this list to studio porn, basically.
Saltburn (Barry Keoghan and Archie Madekwe)
Saltburn is chockablock with scandalous scenes of the sexual variety, from Oliver (Barry Keoghan) performing oral on Venetia (Alison Oliver) during her monthly time to Oliver lustfully slurping Felix’s (Jacob Elordi) cummy bathwater and, of course, Oliver rubbing one out on Felix’s grave. While the psychological thriller is mostly Keoghan’s character yearning for Elordi, Saltburn does feature an actual sex sequence between two male characters in Oliver and his rival, Felix’s shady cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe). After Farleigh embarasses Oliver at a party, Oliver sneaks into his room and commands him to “behave” as he brings him to orgasm. Farleigh is evicted from the titular location the following morning; it’s later revealed that Oliver used Farleigh’s phone while he was sleeping to frame him, leading the family to kick banish him from the premises. Sex! Betrayal! Love it!
The White Lotus (Murray Bartlett and Lukas Gage)
The first season of HBO’s scandalous drama The White Lotus achieved major virality after a miffed resort guest walks in on hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) with his face buried in the ass cheeks of employee Dillon (Lukas Gage). With the lack of rim-job representation on telly, it shocked audiences – including those who partake in rimming, because it’s usually an act that’s only witnessed in real life, or on [insert gay porn site here], not a prestigious network. Gage later said on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live that he wants to “normalise rimming”: “Ass-eating needs to be talked about more. In the script it was sex, and we’ve seen sex on TV. Let’s have some ass-eating.” Yes to all of that.
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