15 best LGBTQ movies to watch during Pride Month (and some books)

[Behind the Aegis]

Pride Month is here, queer and full of cheer for the LGBT community and their allies. When you’re not attending Pride events in your area, you can celebrate by watching movies centering the queer experience.

LGBT representation on screen has grown significantly in the last decade. In 2022, GLAAD reported that one in five major studio releases featured at least one LGBTQ character. Some of the biggest and most acclaimed movies had key queer roles, including Marvel’s Eternals, West Side Story and Best Picture Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. Still, the industry still has a long way to go before it can truly be considered inclusive.

In the meantime, here are 15 excellent LGBTQ movies to watch during Pride Month, on some of the best streaming services including Max, Hulu, Prime Video and Netflix.

Moonlight (2016)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Paris Is Burning (1991) (seen it. Good documentary)
Brokeback Mountain (2005) (seen it)
Carol (2015)
Fire Island (2022) (seen it. Funny as hell!)
Flee (2021)
Tangerine (2015)
The Handmaiden (2016)
Call Me By Your Name (2017) (seen it)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) (seen it)
Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
Love, Simon (2018) (seen it)
A Fantastic Woman (2017)
Ammonite (2020)

Descriptions and services where they can be found at the link.

There are some really good foreign films as well.

As for books, here are some I have recently read and recommend:
The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History & Handbook
The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America
Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day
A Queer History of the United States
An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin
The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government
Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars

Please add your favorite movies or books. Also, while it is a series, "Smiley" out of Spain is really good and sadly, won't get a season two, but it is a great series!

[wcmagumba]

1. Three of mine...

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

La Cage aux Folles (French)

The Birdcage

[walkingman]

13. I think Birdcage is one of the best and funniest movies ever made.

[BlackSkimmer]

26. How could I forget the Birdcage!

I lived in South Florida when that came out, and it was so true to life.

And still is, no doubt.

Fantastic movie!

[BlackSkimmer]

2. The Well of Loneliness.

Very old, but an interesting read.

Making Love was a movie with Harry Hamlin back in the day. Not the best, but huge for us at the time.

There was one about gay women, and I've forgotten the name. It had Mariel Hemingway in it, as a track star, if memory serves.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. "Personal Best"

Good movie.

[BlackSkimmer]

7. Thanks! I refused to google until I thought of it on my own.

But I was coming up empty.

I remember that movie well.

[TexasBushwhacker]

36. I was hoping someone would mention it n/t

[Mz Pip]

3. The Crying Game

Amazing movie.

[BlackSkimmer]

9. Yes, Fantastic.

I'd forgotten that one.

[RandySF]

5. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

[BlackSkimmer]

8. "A cock in a frock on a rock!"

The best movie, and I tried to find it recently and couldn't on any of the usual outlets.

Wasn't Swayze in that? Maybe I dreamed that lol.

I would LOVE to see that movie again.

[wcmagumba]

11. Quote from another thread when I asked recently...

"it's currently available for free on Tubi, PlutoTV, and Amazon Prime Video if you have a paid subscription. You can rent it, starting at $3.99 on Vudu, Apple TV, iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube."

[BlackSkimmer]

17. I have Prime, and I looked some time ago. I'll try again. Thanks!

At the time it told me it wasn't available, but that may have been as long ago as the pandemic and I forgot about it.

Going to check it out. I remember even where I was when I saw that movie, the city, the theater...I loved it.

[CrispyQ]

14. Google says Pluto or Tubi.

Google also says the original movie was released in 94 & there was an American re-make starring Swayze & Wesley Snipes. Don't know if was released under the same title.

[BlackSkimmer]

18. Huh, interesting. I don't think the first had Snipes, so maybe I've got that mixed up.

The original was Australian I think. Thanks,,starting to remember a bunch now!

Off to google...

[WinstonSmith4740]

41. You might be thinking of "To Wong Fu..."

Patrick Swayze was in that. I'm aging myself here, but grew up on "Some Like it Hot."

[wcmagumba]

49. Nope, the quote is from Priscilla, watched it yesterday...nt

[WinstonSmith4740]

60. Priscilla...also one of my favorites!

But I was referring to the question about Patrick Swayze...he was in "To Wong Fu..."

[JustAnotherGen]

6. An ally or two

Needs to take a gander at this.

[BlackSkimmer]

10. The Front Runner, by Patricia Nell Warren.

I read that when I was very young.

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, and ohmygosh she's got many others. The one about Martina Navratilova...lol!

[FelineOverlord]

12. Paris Is Burning

Is on YouTube.

[CountMyVote4Reality]

15. ALL the Tales of the City books/TV movies n/t

[BlackSkimmer]

19. Omg, the BEST! I LOVED those books.

Armstead Maupin, I think? Absolute gold.

Wow, this thread is bringing back some memories.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

16. The Celluloid Closet

Mid 90s doc about the history of gay cinema, or more accurately gay subtext in ostensibly straight cinema.

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

20. Don't forget "Victor, Victoria"

Robertt Preston practically stole every scene he was in.

[BlackSkimmer]

27. Another one I forgot!

Great thread here.

[dsc]

21. Some of my favorites

But I'm a Cheerleader

My Beautiful Launderette

Maurice

Ladder Days

Mysterious Skin

My Own Private Idaho

An Early Frost

[demmiblue]

22. Fried Green Tomatoes

[IcyPeas]

23. A Single Man starring Colin Firth

[yardwork]

37. Great movie.

[peacefreak2.0]

24. More titles

Wild Nights with Emily
In and Out
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
Boy Meets Girl

[sakabatou]

25. Animated TV Shows

Legend of Korra
Steven Universe
Adventure Time
She-Ra: Princesses of Power
OK K.O.
The Loud House
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
The Owl House

[Irish_Dem]

28. Milk is my all time favorite.

[Meadowoak]

32. +1

[Irish_Dem]

33. Harvey Milk is a true American hero.

[Meadowoak]

35. Absolutely!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

47. Yeah liked the story

It was very inspiring and had the feels

[Upthevibe]

44. Irish_Dem.......

I was just going to say Milk is one of my very favorites....

[Irish_Dem]

53. ...

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

29. I taught a film class using Israeli and Palestinian films

and found Out In the Dark. So it's not only a gay love story but also about an Arab and an Israeli falling in love.

[yardwork]

30. Cloudburst.

A lovely film about two aging lesbians. With the wonderful Olympia Dukakis. Funny and sweet.

[JudyM]

31. Great post and thread.

Last edited Sun Jun 4, 2023, 07:54 PM - Edit history (1)

Bookmarking.

A few adds:

Bound
Tipping the Velvet
Trembling Before G-d

[BlackSkimmer]

34. Kicking.

with pride.

[markodochartaigh]

38. My Own Private Idaho,

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, La Cage 1 and 2, French and US, Viva, and Papi Chulo

[sinkingfeeling]

39. Does 'Brokeback Mountain" make the list?

[Upthevibe]

45. sinkingfeeling........

Absolutely, Brokeback Mountain was on the original post. Another one of my very favorites....

[AltairIV]

40. A favorite of mine.

There have been some excellent films mentioned on here already but I would like to add Saving Face (2002) directed by Alice Wu.

[JuJuChen]

42. My fav lesbian romantic comedy of all time is free on YouTube!

"Yes or No" is a wonderful film that will make you laugh and cry

&t=4171s

[Glorfindel]

43. "Latter Days" is an excellent, gay-themed movie that doesn't get

as much recognition as it deserves, IMHO. "Another Country" and "Maurice" are two very good British gay-themed movies, but for a true mind-blowing flat-out masterpiece, get hold of "Angels in America" on DVD. i think it's an HBO adaptation of Kushner's great play with some of the best acting I have ever seen. Al Pacino as Roy Cohn, Meryl Streep in several roles, also Emma Thompson and too many others to mention (except for Mary Louise Parker, who MUST be mentioned). Seriously, if you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch it. In a class by itself.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

46. My additions

Trans America is good

Priscilla queen of the desert.

Recently watched a short series on tubi I think it was on tubi ,if not freevee. Called Trans Parent. Do a search for it.
About coming out trans as an older person who has a family.

[Safety Dawg]

48. A few more...

Movies:
But I’m a Cheerleader
Imagine Me and You

Books:
Hi Honey, I’m Homo!
By Matt Baum

And the Band Played On
By Randy Shilts

[IcyPeas]

50. Man in the Orange Shirt (this was a 2 part BBC film shown in the US on PBS)

I don't know if you were only looking for movies specifically though... but this was pretty powerful.

[Withywindle]

51. 'Pride' is one of my favorites

It's about the alliance of an gay/lesbian activist group from London with Welsh coal miners on strike in the Thatcher era. Based on a true story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_(2014_film)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3169706/

[CBHagman]

52. I was going to mention "Pride."

What a great cast, and I defy anyone to get through that movie without shedding a tear or two for the best of reasons.

[Easterncedar]

54. Southern Comfort

From 2001, a really meaningful and moving story about the life and death of a trans man in the south.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

55. I've only seen these two: Paris Is Burning (1991), Brokeback Mountain

[JanMichael]

56. My Beautiful Laundrette & Oranges Aren't the Only Fruit are both great.

[watrwefitinfor]

57. Boys Don't Cry

Amazing, moving, disturbing movie.
Has it been mentioned yet?

Great list here. Includes some I never heard of but intend to find now.

Wat

[bif]

58. A couple of gems no one's ever heard of...

The British movie "Pride" and "Supernova" starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci.

[Behind the Aegis]

59. "Pride" is fantastic and heartbreaking!

I haven't seen "Supernova".

[NameAlreadyTaken]

61. Parting Glances (1986)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0091725/

[MotorCityBeard]

62. I REALLY wish for books they would include Faggots by Larry Kramer

The book was absolutely eye opening to me in 1981 when I read it. I still think it is a really good book that I've reread several times. A great picture of pre-AIDS gay life.

[FakeNoose]

63. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned "Tar" with Cate Blanchett

It was up for several Oscars this year.



Now that I think about it, Ms. Blanchett has made several movies with the gay/lesbian theme over the years.