It’s Pride Month! Which means it’s time to celebrate our unique queer identities. Most cities likely have their own festival and Pride Parade already planned – make sure you go, if you’re able! It’s even more important this year to be publicly visible, when the hard-earned rights we’ve previously fought for are under threat. In fact, our own identities are threatened.
But this is nothing new to most of us. We are used to having to fight for our community. In fact, that’s what Pride Month is also about. It’s not just for the parades and parties, but to remember key queer figures and events that brought us to where we are today.
Which brings us to this month’s post. Back in 2021, I shared the first batch of 5 Queer History Films for Pride. Now it’s time to expand and explore 5 more. And if I may say so, I think I even outdid myself this time. Each film below explores a key part of our LGBTQ history. And they’re all worth watching!
So grab a bucket of popcorn, or whatever is your favorite snack of choice, and watch these 5 More Queer History Films for Pride. And don’t forget to comment your thoughts below!
[Note: Not all of these films have full reviews yet – but they’re added to the quickly growing list of films I plan to tackle soon!]
5 MORE Queer History Films for Pride
In the early 1980s, the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York led to an emergence of homosexual activists. With support from the medical community, they try to raise awareness about the disease.
Queer films are often important to watch for various reasons. But you should watch Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation, The Normal Heart, because it depicts an important part of queer history. This queer history film is based of the semi-autobiographical play of the same name by Larry Kramer. Inside this heartwarming yet heart-wrenching drama is the story of the early days of the AIDS crisis in New York City, as told through the eyes of one of the AIDS movement’s leaders. Now, Ned Weeks is a fictional character – but one based on Larry Kramer himself, as he helped found the GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis). While some critics noted that Kramer’s story works better on stage, I actually felt this film adaptation did an excellent job in bringing the story, including all of it’s ups and downs, to the viewer. The Normal Heart is a MUST watch film for all LBGQT folks.
Watch The Normal Heart on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube.
After a growing number of mysterious deaths among gay men plague cities across America, epidemiologist Don Francis begins his research into a rare virus that is later known as the AIDS epidemic.
Queer history films can often be difficult to watch, and And The Band Played On certainly falls into that category. The main reason is simply because of this film’s difficult subject: the onset of the AIDS crisis. While I’m just a bit too young to have personally experienced this era, it’s still is a difficult topic – especially when presented to you in the semi-fictional recreation style that writers Randy Shilts & Arnold Schulman created. Interestingly, this HBO film is adapted from Shilts’ book about the era. However I have to confess that this is a hard film to watch also because of how it’s told; the entire film jumps in time, so much that it requires timestamps and locations to help viewers identify what’s going on. But despite this, this is a queer history film that draws you in and you cannot look away. That’s part why this film made such an impression when it was released – and why it’s an important queer film to watch!
Watch And The Band Played On on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube.
Tim and John fell in love while teenagers at their all-boys high school. John was captain of the rugby team, Tim an aspiring actor playing a minor part in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years in the face of everything life threw at it – the separations, the discrimination, the temptations, the jealousies and the losses – until the only problem that love can’t solve tried to destroy them.
Films that are based on true stories often tug at our emotional heartstrings, and Holding The Man is no exception. However, that’s because despite being a beautiful romance, Tim & John’s 15-year love affair ends in tragedy: both boys are diagnosed with AIDS. Set during the 70’s & 80’s in Australia, this queer biography film captures one of queer history’s most tragic times. Full of uncertainty, stigma, and an almost certain death sentence at the time, AIDS simply devastated the queer community. Amid all of this, Holding The Man brings to life on screen how being diagnosed AIDS affected both boys and their life together. This film adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s memoir unfortunately ends with a sad ending as both boys succumb to the disease. Holding The Man is a heartfelt queer biography film that everyone should watch.
Watch Holding The Man on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peccadillo Pictures, and YouTube.
4
When 19-year-old gay-rights activist Tommy and 24-year-old Alan first meet in 1973, they find themselves on the opposite sides of the political coin. Despite their many differences, they form a loving long-term relationship. In 1977, during Anita Bryant’s crusade, an anti-gay book Alan wrote years before gets published without his consent. The book destroys Tommy’s credibility as a well-known activist, resulting in Tommy and Alan’s break-up. Seven years later, Alan is given a second chance, a reunion with Tommy and the opportunity to set things right.
The Trip may be writer/director Miles Swain’s first film. However despite some flaws it is still quite a good queer history film! Initially started as a short film of two men trying to cross the Mexican border, the feature film’s screenplay developed as Swain worked to flesh out the character’s backstories. With mostly fictional characters, this semi-romcom romance between Alan and Tommy is told through three “decades” of their relationship. In between each time jump is a montage of actual historical events, and each segment of their romance remains connected to actual key queer events such as Anita Bryant and the AIDS epidemic. Yet the essence of their love story remains. The Trip may not be the most historical accurate or perfect queer film, but it remains a queer history film worth watching!
Watch The Trip on Prime Video, and Dekkoo.
5.0
In 1962, a hidden movie camera is used to trap sexual deviants in a public park.
Based on actual events – those words always add a certain level to any film or short. In this case, Caught is a short film by Monte Patterson that captures the essence of the 1962 Mansfield, Ohio Police Department sting operation. While the location is different to that case, this short examines and mimics how similar operations were carried out – and still are. Caught is a brilliant short that treads the fine line between bliss and danger amid a darker, hidden area of Queer life and Queer history. Whether or not you agree with cruising and public sex today, and while the Queer community has advanced so much in the past few decades, we cannot ignore our past. Cruising and tearoom sex with strangers was the only way many closeted gay men could cope; yet because homosexuality and sodomy were illegal, those men were also targeted by the police. Monte’s powerful short film brings both facets together to tell a story. Every gay man needs to watch Caught.
Watch Caught on YouTube.
