Pride: by all screens possible
In our second Pride blog this month, we’re focussing on film. And specifically, a selection of LGBTQIA+ cinema from over the years, plus an introduction some inspiring people.
If you missed our last blog on the history of pride, you’ll find it here But now over to DTV’s Luke Duffy to educate and inspire us on the world of LGBTQIA+ cinema and film beyond Brokeback Mountain…
Films: OK, let’s go back to, er, 1895!
Queer cinema didn’t begin with two handsome white cowboys in 2005.
Literally going back to two men dancing together in 1895 (The Dickson Experimental Sound Film), there have been examples of queer characters and themes in films, but it’s been subtle until relatively recently.
Weimar Germany (between the wars) was a haven for gay, lesbian and bisexual films with Different from the Others (1919) and Pandora’s Box (1929) as early examples of queer cinema.
The first is thought to be the first pro-gay film to exist and the second is considered the first film with a lesbian character. Both are absolutely wonderful.
Different from the others
Pandora’s Box (1929)
A rise in conservatism, fascism and so-called “family values” meant that censorship then became rife and gave us things like the Hays Code (1934-68) in America which meant queer characters were either absent or villains. This pretty much continued until the 70s with creators like John Waters and Derek Jarman and films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Dog Day Afternoon (both 1975) giving us queer characters – not necessarily as heroes but at least as sympathetic and layered.
The 21st century has seen so many good LGBTQ films that are readily available on streaming platforms – Booksmart (2019), Carol (2015) and Call Me by Your Name (2017) are some well-known films that I’d recommend if you haven’t seen them already. Although it might be quite hard to watch Call Me by Your Name now to be honest…
The Handmaiden (2016) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) are two of my favourite films from the last five years, and both show lesbian relationships in a positive light. The latter especially is also a great example of a film about lesbianism actually made by queer women, which is still stupidly rare.
Portrait of a Lady (2019)
While films about middle class white queer people are being made more and more (as they should), there is still a huge lack of diversity. It’s still the case that films with queer people of colour are extremely few and far between. The Color Purple (1985), Young Soul Rebels (1991) and Moonlight (2016) are some of the most celebrated but I’d also hugely recommend Tangerine (2015), which follows two transgender sex workers (played by transgender women) around Hollywood.
Tangerine, 2015
Similar to the lack of representation for people of colour, I have tried and tried to find films with asexual and intersex characters but haven’t found anything of substance. Weirdly, cartoons like BoJack Horseman and Steven Universe are ahead of the curve there. If you know of any good representations of asexual or intersex characters in films, let us know!
Documentaries: to Netflix and beyond…
Netflix actually has a pretty good selection of LGBTQIA+ docs and has helped make a few of them:
Hating Peter Tatchell is a fascinating film about the controversial gay rights activist. His direct-action group, OutRage!, would (among a whole lot else) out closeted figures who were publicly homophobic.
Vilified in the press at the time, the film seeks to consider Tatchell now in a world that’s largely vindicated his actions.
The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson: A great documentary about the real originators of the Stonewall uprising, Marsha P Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera (more on her below).
What does the P stand for in Marsha P Johnson? Pay it no mind!
Paris is Burning (1990): Annoyingly, it’s just come off Netflix but is a fantastic documentary about the vibrant drag ball culture in New York City in the late 1980s.
Also on the BFI website there are plenty of short films and documentaries that you can access for free or a wider selection of beautiful movies if you have a subscription.
Paris is Burning (1990)
And a few LGBTQIA+ heroes
Bayard Rustin
A black leader in social movements, Rustin convinced Martin Luther King to use non-violent methods in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped influence the civil rights movement in the 60s – often from behind the scenes due to criticism of his sexuality. In the 80s, he became more outspoken on LGBT issues at the urging of his partner Walter Naegle, testifying on behalf of New York’s Gay Rights Bill. He said: “The question of social change should be framed with the most vulnerable group in mind: gay people.”
Sylvia Rivera
A close friend of Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera was a Latina transgender woman who claimed to have been at the Stonewall Riots (although was likely having cocktails uptown).
She and Johnson founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) for homeless LGBT people in 1970 and fought for SONDA (the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act), which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in New York. It was finally passed in January 2002 – a month before Rivera died.
(Interesting/depressing fact about SONDA – it is the only piece of legislation in the world that mentions asexuality.)
Sometimes though, Rivera had to fight against certain LGBT people, getting banned from New York’s Gay and Lesbian Community Center for demanding that they take care of poor and homeless queer youths in the cold winter. She said: “I'm tired of sitting on the back of the bumper. It's not even the back of the bus anymore — it's the back of the bumper. The bitch on wheels is back.”
Gilbert Baker
Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in 1978 and refused to trademark it so that it could be used by anyone. He was also a drag queen under the name of Busty Ross (a reference to Betsy Ross, who designed the American flag, which I think is just lovely). On the 25th anniversary in 2003, he made a mile-long version of the flag to display in Key West. Here he is under it:
This has been a personal snapshot, and we must have missed some fabulous films and inspiring heroes. Let us know who you would like to add!
Thanks so much.
Luke Duffy, DTV London
Bio
Luke is a Senior Media Analyst at DTV London. He’s been with the team for just under three years now. After work, you’ll often find him at a gig or show, or having a drink with friends