LGBTQ+ Films For Pride Month

[Criterion]

By Samantha Grasso

For Pride month, check out these classic film and TV recs.

The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

Directed by Rob Epstein, this documentary follows the life and career of Harvey Milk, who served as the first openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and was assassinated in 1978 by a fellow supervisor. The film, produced after Milk’s death, uses original interviews, archival footage and documentary footage to showcase his transformation from local activist to gay icon. The film is available to stream on Hulu.

Paris Is Burning (1990)

Paris Is Burning walked so that RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose could run. Directed by Jennie Livingston, this documentary is the authoritative record of New York City ball culture, the origins of much drag culture today. The film features gay and trans Black and Latinx performers and their house families, showcasing the artistry behind drag and voguing, and how the performers navigated discrimination, the AIDS epidemic and poverty. The film is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

In this coming-of-age comedy, high school cheerleader Megan is sent to gay “conversion therapy” camp, only to fall in love with fellow lesbian camper Graham. Directed by Jamie Babbit, this cult classic remains beloved for its brightly-colored set design and over-the-top outfits, for giving us a queer teen romance for the ages, and for gleefully skewering homophobia and traditional gender roles. The film is free to stream on YouTube Movies.

The Lady and the Dale

This HBO four-part documentary series tells the story of the automotive executive Elizabeth Carmichael and her fuel-efficient three-wheeled car that wasn’t. Though Carmichael herself has a controversial legacy (she was imprisoned for fraud after being accused of financial impropriety at her company), the series highlights how the media made her identity as a trans woman a major vector of attack. Stream The Lady and the Dale on HBO Max.

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

To Wong Foo is a campy comedy that follows three drag queens on a cross-country road trip to compete in a national pageant. Featuring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo, and even a cameo from, yes, Julie Newmar, the movie is most definitely a picture of its time, as the straight-cast queens encounter a small town with smaller people who learn to open their minds. It’s almost like a prequel to HBO’s 2020 series We’re Here, which follows three real-life drag queens (Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O'Hara and Shangela) on their mission to bring drag to the South. Rent the film on YouTube Movies.

Betty

Betty is based on the 2018 film Skate Kitchen, which portrayed a real group of female skaters playing fictionalized versions of themselves. With two seasons three years later, Betty continues to explore the magic of this queer girl group, weaving a coming-of-age narrative with romance, friendship and fighting patriarchy. Betty “tap[s] into a queer experience rarely seen on screen,” says Autostraddle. Stream Betty on HBO Max.

Love, Simon (2018)

The first movie by a major Hollywood studio to center gay teen romance, Love, Simon is based on the 2015 novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The movie follows a closeted high schooler who begins crushing on another closeted gay student, only to find himself being blackmailed into helping someone court his best friend. The film is quintessentially high school with its complicated love triangles, and also manages to tell an emotionally honest story about Simon’s coming out struggle and the harassment that queer kids face at school. Stream Love, Simon on Hulu.

Moonlight (2016)

Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, this Academy Award-winning film follows the life of "Little" Chiron, who is incessantly bullied and abused, and neglected at home. While the film largely centers on Chiron understanding his sexuality, it also explores drug addiction, the meaning of chosen family, and the pressures on young boys and men to conform to ideas of masculinity. Moonlight is visually stunning, heartbreaking and a recent addition to the queer canon. It can be streamed on Showtime with a subscription.

Weekend (2011)

Set in England, Weekend is a story of romance cut short. Directed by Andrew Haigh, the film follows Russell and Glen, who meet by happenstance just days before one of them is set to move across the globe. Though the men do briefly discuss queer politics, the film gives them room to exist as fully formed protagonists rather than as symbols or stereotypes, as they navigate a new relationship with very different expectations. Weekend is available to rent on YouTube Movies.

Mama Gloria (2020)

Gloria Allen is a Chicago trailblazer, and Mama Gloria is her story. Directed by Luchina Fisher, the documentary tells the life of Allen, a Black transgender woman who found support from the women in her family early in life. She passed on that guidance by opening a charm school for homeless transgender youth. The film also explores Allen’s life as an elderly trans woman and the challenges she’s experienced along the way. Mama Gloria is streaming for free on PBS.

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