LGBTQIA+ Movies You Need To Watch
June marks Pride Month and it is important now more than ever to highlight the LGBTQIA community’s history and continue to advocate for equity and justice. Nothing sounds more fun than going out to a celebratory festival, volunteering at your local LGBTQIA-focused organization or attending a drag brunch. But if you’re a homebody like me, here’s a list of movies to watch in celebration of Pride:
Image Credit: IMDb
As a fan of Ving Rhames, I can’t help but recommend this movie! “Holiday Heart” follows the story of the titular drag queen who, after the loss of his beau, meets a young girl and her drug-addicted mother.. Even with a tragic past of his own, Holiday Heart becomes a staple figure in the lives of the two women, providing them with stability and love. Not only does this film portray the forming of a beautiful relationship but includes fantastic performances from the cast. “Holiday Heart” manages to be simultaneously heartwarming and heart wrenching.
Holiday Heart is available to watch on Tubi
Image Credit: IMDb
Speaking of movies you’ll need to watch with a box of tissues, there’s no way I couldn’t include Barry Jenkins’s award-winning film “Moonlight.” Based on the play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” written by Tarell Alvin this beautiful coming-of-age film follows the life of Chiron structured into three different parts. Throughout the film, we see wonderful storytelling of a young man struggling with his sexuality while dealing with the typical rollercoaster that is adolescence. This movie manages to tell a believable story highlighting themes like masculinity, trauma and identity through amazing dialogue and cinematography that feels like visual poetry.
Moonlight is available to watch on Tubi
Image Credit: IMDb
Much more lighthearted, “The Watermelon Woman” is about an aspiring filmmaker, played by Cheryl Dunye, the film’s writer and director. This rom-com/mockumentary was the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian when released in 1996, and follows the protagonist’s investigation into a forgotten 1940s actress known as “The Watermelon Woman.” Although it was a little disappointing for me that the main character’s love interest was not also a Black woman or woman of color, it’s so refreshing to watch a movie highlighting queer love without any pain.
The Watermelon Woman is available to watch on Kanopy
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If you’re interested in an actual documentary, specifically one about the experience of being a Black transgender sex worker, “Kokomo City” delivers a raw yet powerful narrative with subjects that are so charming it’s hard not to become invested. The interviews include descriptions of the process of transitioning and the role of class in the Black transgender experience. Directed by D. Smith, this film is great for cis-gender people looking to better understand the obstacles and violence transgender people must encounter because of their identity.
Kokomo City is available to watch on HBO Max
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While this recommendation technically isn’t a movie, this is a piece of queer media that you have to watch. Set in the late 80s/early 90s, “Pose” follows the life of a trans woman who pursues her dream of being in the House ballroom scene. This show gives praise to the house mothers and the underground ballroom culture in New York. The cast of “Pose” includes the largest cast of trans actresses of any scripted show in history!
Pose is available to watch on Hulu
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This documentary was my introduction to Marlon Riggs who, along with being a documentary filmmaker, was an educator, poet and HIV/AIDS activist. “Black Is…Black Ain’t” addresses the intersection of Black identity, sexism, and homophobia. Popular Black educators and scholars such as bell hooks and Angela Davis make an appearance in the film. Riggs would die of AIDS during the making of the documentary, making this his final film, the documentary was released posthumously. “Black Is…Black Ain’t” shares knowledge that will continue to be relevant for years to come.
Black Is…Black Ain’t: An Exploration of Black Identity is available to watch on Kanopy
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If you’re chronically single and a fan of short movies, this is a great movie to add to your list! “How Not to Date While Trans” is a comedy that follows Andie, who is transgender, sharing her struggles about the dating world. This film does a great job of showing those who aren’t a part of the community a glimpse into the life of a trans person trying to find love (which is really just like everyone else!). This award-winning short has played at over 30 festivals and should play on your tv next!
How Not to Date while Trans is available to watch on YouTube
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For the “Moonlight” lovers, I’d also recommend watching this film. “Pariah” follows a 17-year-old girl coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian. The film manages to both depict the importance of relationships while also showing how our personal journeys impact us individually. It’s hard to watch this film and not become sympathetic for Adike, the main character (played by Adepero Oduye).
Pariah is available to watch on Peacock
Image Credit: IMDb
In addition to it being pride month, it’s also Black music month, which makes “Bessie” the perfect watch. The film follows the life of Bessie Smith, renowned blues singer (also known as the Empress of the Blues). Smith whose career reached its heights in the 1920s is played by Queen Latifah. Any movie Queen Latifah touches turns to gold but she really shows her acting chops in this film. Although at times the plot feels a little uneven, the performances make it worth watching.
Bessie is available to watch on HBO Max
Image Credit: IMDb
To Gen Alpha, the concept of recording a movie on your phone doesn’t seem too far fetched. However, doing so about a decade ago was viewed as quite innovative; this film was shot on an iPhone 5s (they don’t even make this model anymore!). “Tangerine” is a film about two trans sex workers who learn that their boyfriends have been cheating on them. The cinematography is the key factor that makes this movie so intriguing, because the shots make it feel like we’re actually tagging along with the characters. If you liked Anora, you should watch this film!
Tangerine is available to watch on HBO Max