LGBTQ movies and books to watch or read every month, not just in June
A little over two years ago, I decided to officially come out in an editorial. I was inspired, among other things, by the general openness of the LGBTQ community at Columbia and by the Netflix series “Heartstopper,” which is based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Alice Oseman.
Every year I try to engage with queer media and queer artists during Pride Month. As the month comes to a close and Friday is the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, I wanted to share some films, documentaries, and maybe a few book suggestions so others can continue to engage with queer media and history beyond Pride Month.
He owes the idea for these proposals in part to queer media writer Matt Baume, who last year published “Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Sitcoms, Specials and the Queering of American Culture,” which recently won Best LGBTQ+ Nonfiction at the Lambda Literary Awards. In addition to writing, Baume creates video essays on YouTube, recently exploring the 1972 film version of “Cabaret,” LGBTQ activists who pushed for positive representation of the community on television, and biographies of actors Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, and Anthony Perkins, to name a few.
Check out these articles:
Films, including documentaries
- Pride (2014, rated R), directed by Matthew Warchus, is a film based on true events about the group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. Set during the 1984-85 miners’ strike in the UK, the film shows the oppression that miners faced at the hands of those in power during the strike, as well as the even longer-term oppression of the LGBTQ community. A roughly 23-minute documentary film made at the time by Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, currently available on YouTube, served in part as the basis for the film. “Pride” is Astreaming on Peacock (subscription required), streaming rental starting at $3.99, or on DVD from the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
- “Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives” is a 1977 documentary film by the Mariposa Film Group, in which 26 LGBTQ people were interviewed. It is a snapshot of queer life in the USA in the almost ten years after the Stonewall uprisings. Topics discussed include coming out, falling in love and the struggle with prejudice, stereotypes and discriminatory laws. Available streaming on The Criterion Channel (subscription required) and via Kanopy from the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
- Different For Girls is a 1996 R-rated comedy-drama series produced in the UK and France. Two friends who lost touch after their teenage years find each other again. Both were assigned male at birth, and while one of the friends is cisgender, the other is transgender and has since transitioned. Their relationship goes through ups and downs as they reconnect in a friendly and intimate way. Free streaming with ads available via Amazon Prime (Freevee), Tubi, Pluto TV and via Hoopla from the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
- The Wedding Banquet is a 1993 Taiwanese R-rated romantic comedy film directed by Ang Lee, part of his Father’s Best film trilogy. Wai Tung works in real estate development in New York and lives with his partner Simon, a physical therapist. Wai Tung’s parents pressure him to get married, even registering him with marriage agencies in Taiwan. To please them, he enters into a sham marriage with a tenant of one of his properties, who is also from Taiwan. Some jokes ensue. Most of the film is in Mandarin, and English subtitles are available. Aavailable to stream for free with ads on demand via Pluto TV and via Hoopla from the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
- Kinky Boots is another film based on true events and was rated PG-13 in 2005. It is a comedy that tells the story of a young shoe factory in the north of England that finds its niche: drag queens. The film was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2019 by Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein. Kinky Boots (2005) is streaming on Paramount+ (Showtime premium subscription required), while the 2019 musical version is currently available on BroadwayHD (subscription required) as a streaming rental starting at $3.99 or on DVD from the Daniel Boone Regional Library..
- “Before Stonewall” and “After Stonewall” are two R-rated documentaries that examine the LGBTQ rights movement before and after the Stonewall uprisings of 1969. Both are available for free streaming with ads on Tubi, as well as via Kanopy or Hoopla from the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
Books
- Gay Bar: The Fabulous True Story of a Daring Woman and Her Boys in the 1950s is the autobiography of Helen Branson, who ran a gay bar in Los Angeles in the 1950s, interspersed with commentary by Will Fellows, published by University of Wisconsin Press in 2010. This is different from the 2022 edition of Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin. The former is still available online, while the latter is available online, at Barnes and Noble in the Columbia Mall (beginning June 20), or at the Daniel Boone Regional Library..
- “Hi Honey, I’m homo!”, as already mentioned will be available online at the Skylark Bookshop in Columbia or at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in paperback or streaming audiobook via Hoopla beginning June 20..
- Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity by Robert Beachy is a non-fiction book about the city in Germany before the development of the Weimar Republic after World War I and the eventual fascist rise of the Third Reich. This was a time when sexuality and gender identity were widely studied until these centers were closed and papers and books burned. Available online or at the Daniel Boone Regional Library.
- Maurice by EM Forster is a fictional novel first written in 1913 but not published until 1971. The main character is gay, which is in contrast to many books from the period that featured gay characters. Maurice was made into a film by Merchant Ivory in the 1980s. It starred James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves, who also starred in the aforementioned Different for Girls. The novel is available online, at Barnes and Noble in the Columbia Mall or at the Daniel Boone Regional Library starting June 20..
More: I refuse to be afraid of myself any longer. How Netflix’s “Heartstopper” helps me come out
Charles Dunlap covers local politics, community stories and other general issues for the Tribune. Reach him at [email protected] or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support important local journalism.
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