New Netflix series Special is being praised for including honest depictions of gay sex.
The show, written by and starring Ryan O'Connell, follows the story of a gay man with cerebral palsy - inspired by O'Connell's memoir I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.
With eight 15-minute episodes, the series is tailor-made for bingeing, but it packs a real punch, particularly for LGBTIQ+ viewers who crave authentic depictions of their sexuality on screen.
A tenderly handled sex scene in the show's third episode really resonated with viewers, with one social media user calling it "respectful, sweet and so damn bold my jaw dropped."
Getting this scene right was evidently important to O'Connell, who has previously written on shows including Awkward and Will and Grace.
"Well, that scene was really really important to me," O’Connell said in an interview with . "That sex scene was my baby."
He continued: "I have been really frustrated about the lack of representation of gay sex in film and TV [and] I don’t understand why anal sex has not been normalised or depicted for what it is.
"I also wanted to make sure that Ryan losing his virginity was a nice, tender scene and that I was not traumatised.
He added: "When something is so common in your life and you don’t see it every in TV or film, I get really frustrated. I’m like, 'Why is this so groundbreaking? This is something that tons of people experience!'"
Netflix has faced some criticism for not suitably promoting the new series, with some suspecting it is due to the raw depictions of queer sex.
