Media featuring LGBT content
A gay activist has been outing closeted public figures. Now he’s getting death threats. He hires Donald Strachey for protection. Strachey is an openly gay detective in Albany, NY. He takes clients that the straight world ignores. But can he … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Third Man Out (2005)
Margaret Qualley plays Detective Honey O’Donahue. Her style and charm bring a touch of glamour to the bleak town of Bakersfield. Honey’s client has died in a car wreck. She suspects it was no accident. Honey Don’t! is the second … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Honey Don’t! (2025)
In 2019 the Hallmark channel aired a commercial for Zola Wedding Planners. A lesbian couple praise the site during their wedding vows. The ad was pulled from the network after a complaint. Then restored after even more complaints. Hallmark has … Continue reading LGBT Media: Lesbian Commercials
What goes through the minds of bullies? How many homophobes are closet cases? Why does queerness frighten the patriarchy? Claude Miller made his filmmaking debut in 1976 with The Best Way to Walk (La meilleure façon de marcher). The screenplay, … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Best Way to Walk (1976)
On June 28, 1969 members of the NYPD attacked the LGBTQ patrons at the Stonewall Inn. Raids were common but that night the patrons fought back. The battle led to a riot that galvanized the struggling queer rights movement. 1995’s … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Stonewall (1995)
Arnold, a New York drag queen, experiences love and loss. He gains self-respect and the courage to stand up for himself. Harvey Fierstein wrote and starred in three separate plays about the character. Then combined them into one epic story. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
Three drag queens take a cross-country road trip. When their car breaks down in a small town, they befriend the local women. I disliked To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar when it premiered. I didn’t understand why the … Continue reading LGBT Movies: To Wong Foo (1995)
Megan follows the rules. She goes to church. She gets good grades. She’s a cheerleader. But her peers realize something she doesn’t. Megan is a lesbian. Her parents quickly ship her off to a conversion camp. There she’ll meet her … Continue reading LGBT Movies: But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
The 1999 movie Trick paired a timid musician with a confident hunk. They spent the night searching for a place to hook-up. Roommates, obnoxious friends and jealous rivals stood in their way. Queer romcoms were still rare and Trick found an eager … Continue reading Theater Review: Trick the Musical
If nothing else, Overcompensating has the right title. All four of its main characters have secrets and traumas, and almost every storyline is about the efforts they go to to mask and bury them. And it really is overcompensating; what … Continue reading LGBT Media: Overcompensating (2025)
Lee (Will Poulter) introduces his girlfriend Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) to his brother Julius (Jacob Elordi). Julius recognizes a fellow queer person and tries to give advice. She panics and hastily accepts Lee’s proposal of marriage. It’s the 1950’s and Lee … Continue reading LGBT Movies: On Swift Horses (2024)
In Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet (1993) a surly gay New Yorker is pushed into a sham marriage by his Taiwanese parents. The first hour is a comedy about hypocrisy. Things take a dark turn in the third act. Roger … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Wedding Banquet (2025)
Bunny (Nathan Lane) reunites with his best friends Jerry (Matt Bomer) and Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) at a funeral. He invites them to move in to his Palm Springs mansion with him and his mother Sybil (the late, great Linda … Continue reading LGBT Media: Mid-Century Modern (2025)
A Hollywood actress is outed as trans after her death. Her friends and lovers flash back to their time with her. Amateur actors and copious nudity branded Dinah East an exploitation picture. But it’s also a sympathetic look at closeted … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Dinah East (1970)
Odette has it rough. First a wizard turns her into a swan. Then an imposter seduces her lover. Finally, she’s cast into a watery grave. The origins of the tale are hazy. It is best remembered for Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s … Continue reading LGBT Media: Swan Lake (1995)
The curtain rises on Ncuti Gatwa (Dr. Who) wearing a bright pink gown. He mimes playing piano for a crowd of drag queens and kings. Then performs a strip tease. This scene does not exist in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance … Continue reading National Theatre Live: The Importance of Being Earnest
Owen and Maddy are depressed teens trapped in the suburbs. They bond over a TV show called The Pink Opaque. The series follows psychic girls battling horrifying monsters. Soon Maddy proposes an adventure of their own. Owen refuses. Without Maddy, … Continue reading LGBT Movies: I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
In 1993 Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his performance in Philadelphia. He thanked his gay drama teacher in his speech. A false rumor spread that he had outed him. Paul Rudnick used this as the premise for a comedy. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: In & Out (1997)
Anthony Mackie joined the Avengers in 2014. Ten years prior he starred in Brother to Brother. He plays a struggling artist who bonds with the poet Bruce Nugent (A gentle performance from Roger Robinson). Writer and director Rodney Evans has … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Brother to Brother (2004)
Oh dear. This one’s rough. A timid gay man survives a homophobic attack. He signs up for a brutal self-defense course. Comedian Judy Tenuta plays the foul-mouthed camp instructor. She beats and belittles her students to provoke their anger. Butch … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Butch Camp (1996)
People in the Summer Night (aka Ihmiset suviyössä) follows the members of a farming community. A mix of rich and poor, young lovers and old cynics. The storylines address class and sexuality with a frankness that would make the Hollywood … Continue reading LGBT Movies: People in the Summer Night (1948)
