The people who make up the community to the spaces where they congregate, both online and off, are just some of the things that are explored by Mashable in celebration of Pride Month.
Everyone under the LGBTQ umbrella is encouraged to come out and wave their flag at the parades during Pride. We might need a movie that keeps the party going for every wild night out.
In June, many streaming services will show their LGBTQ titles. We will show you the movies across all of the above.
We have everything you need for a thigh-slapping comedy, a heart-wrenching drama, a pulse-pounding romance, a mind-expanding documentary, or spine-tingling horror.
Here is a great selection of movies to watch during Pride.
The filmmakers did a public service in their creation of the seminal documentary Before Stonewall. This is a great starting place for anyone who wants to better appreciate how far acceptance has come and how far it still has to go.
You can rent or purchase Before Stonewall on Amazon Prime Video.
Credit: Chris Stephens / Magnolia Pictures
Swan Song was inspired by the real-life Liberace of Sandusky, Ohio, and stars Udo Kier as a retired and unapologetically flamboyant hairdresser. This wickedly funny hero is going back to his old haunt to reconcile with his past, and he is finding new friends, old foes, and the glory of a mint-green vintage suit. The film pays tribute to a generation of gay men who were decimated by AIDS and societal indifference. The best performance of his long and storied career was given by Kier.
Swan Song is now available to watch on the internet.
The Academy Award-winning Best Picture may use some of the same components as other coming-of-age stories, but it is so inventive and original that it feels like an insult to compare it to anything else. The film has been called some of the most impactful in the history of cinema, a meditation on abuse, regret, pain, and acceptance.
You can rent or purchase the movie on Amazon Prime Video and the iTunes store.
The best place to enjoy Hedwig and the Angry Inch is on the stage. When a visit to the theater isn't an option, director and star John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation more than does the trick. In this musical dramedy, Stephen Trask's spectacular songs once again come to life as he explores revenge, betrayal, and acceptance.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.
Credit: Netflix
The horror trilogy centered on a lesbian couple was an example of queer horror. When the local legend of a vicious witch upends their lives, they may end up dead. DirectorLeigh Janiak takes audiences through three eras of terror, chasing her heroes through shopping malls, summer camps, and colonial forests to uncover the dark truth of Shadyside.
Fear Street: Part One: 1994 can be watched on the internet.
You can watch Fear Street: Part Two: 1978 on the internet.
You can watch Fear Street: Part Three: 1666 on the internet.
Director Cheryl Dunye has a reputation for righting wrongs. In this romantic comedy, Dunye plays a version of herself that is trying to give credit to the Black actors and filmmakers that came before her. The Watermelon Woman is considered to be the first feature-length film directed by an openly lesbian Black woman.
The Watermelon Woman is available for rent or purchase on the internet.
In this charming, sexy, and silly comedy from Stephen Frears, Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis play childhood friends-turned-lovers struggling to make the most of their meager means. When the pair take over a laundromat together, they must face the usual pitfalls of operating a business as well as battle the political climate surrounding immigrants in Great Britain.
You can watch My Beautiful Laundrette on Pluto TV.
Do you want something that is uniquely chilling? Then check out this thriller set in a cold place. The film is about a man who goes to a remote cabin to help his ex-boyfriend. They are rattled by a series of strange events that suggest they are not alone. There is something in the dark. The film is beautiful and has a slow burn pace, but it also has scares that will make you shiver.
Amazon Prime Video has a streaming version of Rift.
The lives of Carol Aird and Therese Belivet are brought to life in Todd Haynes' Carol. This Christmas-set romance will pull at your heartstrings in a number of ways, permanently nestling into a corner of your soul.
Carol is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Credit: IFC Films
When you hear that the director of Showgirls made a movie about lesbian nuns, you might think Benedetta was raunchy and campy. Paul Verhoeven brings exquisite artistry to this stranger-than-fiction tale, delivering a biopic full of outrageous moments with a sophisticated yet wicked wit.
Benedetta is now available on the internet.
The chance encounter in Andrew Haigh's Weekend is redefined by Tom and Chris. Told over the course of 48 hours, this stirring, passionate romance considers the impacts strangers can have on one another, even when their time together is cut short.
Weekend is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Black gay men have been forced to endure and navigate for decades due to the onslaught of racist and homophobic prejudices. Combining documentary footage with scripted personal accounts, this 55 minute film is an important point of reference in intersectional activism.
You can watch Tongues Untied on Kanopy.
The perfect at- home Pride celebration can't be found if people are looking for a cute romp. Love, Simon, starring the always charming Nick Robinson, was the first major studio film to focus on a gay teen romance. This movie combines the best of rom-coms and coming out stories to check every box on a movie lover's list.
Love, Simon can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video, as well as on other platforms.
Credit: Utopia
You're a young, bi Jewish woman who just finished hooking up with one of your sex-work clients and he's rich and cute. You show up at the shiva your parents dragged you to, and Sugar Daddy walks in with a hot wife holding a newborn baby. He knows your parents. Your ex-girlfriend is also there. The comedy part of Emma Seligman's debut feature is like the Jewish version of Krisha. It is only an hour and 17 minutes.
Shiva Baby is now available on HBO Max.
The romantic saga was directed by Wong Kar-wai and depicts a tumultuous relationship on the verge of collapse. Happy Together explores passion and its limitations as the leads, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Leslie Cheung, explore affairs of the heart.
Happy Together is available on the internet.
The greatest lesbian fairytale of all time may very well be the one where a cheerleader is forced to attend a conversion therapy camp. But I&m a Cheerleader was directed by Jamie Babbit and was met with mediocre reviews in 2000, but has since gained a cult following. If you want to see a first kiss scene featuring Clea DuVall, you have to come for the promise of RuPaul trying to pretend he is straight.
You can watch But I&m a Cheerleader on Tubi and on Pluto TV, as well as on Amazon Prime Video.
One of the most important events of New York City Pride is Wigstock. The festival made popular by legends like Lady Bunny is the subject of the film.
There is a way to watch Wig.
Credit: Peter Mountain / Zenith / Killer / Kobal / Shutterstock
This drama was written about queer icons like Lou Reed and Oscar Wilde, and was a gift from Todd Haynes. The film features a rock star who wins the heart of a headstrong American punk, a party girl, and the devotion of a young teen, played by Christian Bale. Velvet Goldmine is beautiful and bold even before you realize Haynes messed with the narrative structure of Citizen Kane.
Prime Video has a new show called Velvet Goldmine.
You knew it had to be on this list. The drag ball culture of New York City was captured in the documentary Paris Is Burning. If there is ever a reflection on wealth disparity, race discrimination, and stigma surrounding the LGBTQ community, this is it.
Paris Is Burning is available for rent or purchase on the internet.
Ang Lee's tale of star-crossed lovers in rural Wyoming and Texas is a nuanced narrative of passion, fear, romance, and shame. A timeless reflection on what it takes to unite who you are expected to be with who you really are, Brokeback Mountain can be a little sentimental.
You can rent or purchase Brokeback Mountain on Amazon Prime Video or on the App Store.
David France looks at the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a documentary. How to Survive a Plague is a film about the fight against biased healthcare practices and how to make societal change happen before it is too late.
How to Survive a Plague can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.
Credit: Neon
This historical French drama will blow you away. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel lead as a painter and her unwilling subject whose intimate time together begins a secret romance that threatens to ruin them both. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a watch you need to make time for.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is available for rent on Amazon Prime Video and for purchase on the iTunes store.
The adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert are unspeakably fun. The drag performers traveled the Australian outback in this comedy with one-liners and costume changes. The film contains racist depictions of non-white characters. The film has been argued that it is still a historic text for the changes it brought about in mainstream acceptance of the LGBTQ community.
You can rent or purchase The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Amazon Prime Video.
The UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans was destroyed in a fire on June 24, 1973. People who witnessed the tragedy reflect on the lives lost, the expected arsonist behind the attack, and the city's lack of response to community destruction. This is a very important chapter in the history of the LGBTQ community.
You can rent or purchase Upstairs Inferno on Amazon Prime Video.
There is never a better time to revisit Sara Jorden's masterpiece. The documentary is an inspiring reminder that joy and love can bring about lasting change, but not without profound struggle.
You can rent or purchase the show on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
Credit: Chicken and Egg / MBK / Northstar / Kobal / Shutterstock
Adepero Oduye is in a coming-of-age story. A cinematic journey that leaps from the screen to your soul, Pariah follows a 17-year-old Black girl as she fights to accept her lesbian identity and reconcile her sexual orientation with her family's vision of the future.
Pariah is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
The genre of queer horror is full of cringeworthy moves. Fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge came to embrace its quirky dance number and scream queen, Mark Patton. This fascinating leading man steps back into the spotlight to share his story as a closeted gay actor who survived public mockery and the AIDS crisis to find a love and community that takes pride in him.
How to watch a movie. My Nightmare on Elm Street is on AMC+.
The Favourite was the only film to win an Oscar, but it received a lot of praise. The story of two courtiers, played by Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, vying for the favor of Queen Anne, was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. This darkly hilarious and queer romp is an excellent argument against aristocracies.
The Favourite is available for rent or purchase on a number of platforms.
The documentary We Were Here takes viewers back to the San Francisco scene of the 80's and 90's as interview subjects relive their struggle to contend with the HIV/AIDS crisis. This is a history lesson that is worth paying attention to.
You can watch We Were Here on Amazon Prime and Kanopy, or you can purchase it on iTunes.
The stunning coming-of-age romance is being directed by Luca Guadagnino. Call Me By Your Name was the winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards. This is a great pick for a cold night in.
Call Me By Your Name can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.
Another piece from the writer-director. Tomboy paints a portrait of a gender non- conforming child in a new environment. This film is full of hope but grounded in its true-to-life performances, so it is a testament to becoming who you really are at any age. Zo was 10 years old when she shined with her lead role.
Tomboy is on a show.
Credit: Sony Classics / TIFF
A Fantastic Woman was the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. A woman is losing her partner unexpectedly. She has to contend with her late partner's family and transphobia. The film shows how prejudice can add to existing loss.
You can rent or purchase A Fantastic Woman on Amazon Prime Video.
The 20th-century remake of Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V is a tense, melancholy exploration of intimacy, power, and uncertainty that never fails to deliver poignant reflection. The chemistry of the pair is...searing.
My Own Private Idaho can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and Google Play.
Credit: KC Bailey / Netflix
The Half of It has built a following of young queer people because of its presentation of coming out. This romantic comedy is a remake of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, but with an intense honesty to its subject that makes it stand out.
The Half of It is available on the internet.
The first documentary by directorAngela Tucker examines what it means to be asexual in our culture. A(sexual) gives an insight into what it means for asexual people to fight for their right to not partake in normalized relationship rituals and define their own spaces within the LGBTQ community.
A(sexual) can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, YouTube, and Google Play.
Sean Penn is playing activist and politician Harvey Milk in the film. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Milk imagined an icon. Penn won an Oscar for his performance in Milk.
Milk is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Credit: Augustas Quirk / Magnolia / Duplass Brothers Prods / Kobal / Shutterstock
The low-budget tour de force follows a sex worker named Sin-Dee Rella, played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, as she tries to avenge the man who cheated on her and the woman he cheated with. It is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that you will never forget.
Tangerine is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and is also available for streaming on Kanopy.
In the wake of an unexpected wedding, The Birdcage chronicles the chaotic blend of two very different families. Nathan Lane is full drag, Robin Williams dances his pants off, and Gene Hackman is straight-man. If you want something light and fun to watch with your family, this is the pick.
The Birdcage is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Rafiki was banned in Kenya due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in the country contrary to the law. Wanuri Kahiu's film emphasizes the need for LGBTQ equality everywhere.
Rafiki is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
David France's third film, Welcome to Chechnya, takes viewers on a guerilla-style investigation into the anti-gay purges that still plague the republic of Russia.
The project details the policies created by Putin and Kadyrov to criminalize homosexuality, as well as the culture the government has instilled in its citizens to encourage hate crimes. It is a painful watch that demands attention from viewers, focusing in large part on the courage of underground networks working to help LGBTQ people escape the region.
You can watch Welcome to Chechnya on the internet.
The write-up comes from a previous list.
June 3, 2021, 1:37 p.m. is a new date. We celebrate every Pride by watching the greats of LGBTQ film, but we have gone ahead and updated this to add a few titles, make sure you have the right streaming links, and comb out all those social distancing jokes from 2020. Enjoy!
UPDATE: May. 27, 2022, 2:57 p.m. EDT This list has been updated with active links and additional movie recommendations.
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