“All things just keep getting better,” proclaims the theme song of groundbreaking reality show Queer Eye, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in July. For years, that sentiment rang true with regard to the movement for LGBTQ rights. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed in 2011. Early same-sex unions on the state and local levels led to nationwide marriage equality in 2015. The trans community gained unprecedented visibility as figures like Laverne Cox, Elliot Page, and Virginia state legislator Danica Roem burst onto the national stage. But the 2020s have been painful for queer and trans Americans. Hearing a New Orleans brass band belt out Queer Eye’s optimistic refrain in the series’ new NOLA-set seventh season, you might ask: <…