From coming-of-age films and heartbreaking dramas to cult classics and recent favorites… There’s something for everyone to enjoy! Scroll below for must-see movies that focus on LGBTQ+ characters and stories.
But I’m a Cheerleader
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, RuPaul
A satirical rom-com about a high school cheerleader who gets sent to “sexual redirection” camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
Fire Island
Starring: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho
The story centers around two best friends who set out to have a legendary week-long summer vacation with the help of cheap rosé and a cadre of eclectic friends.
Moonlight
Starring: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders
An African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality during childhood, adolescence, and early adult life.
The World to Come
Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Katherine Waterson, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott
In the 19th century, two women form a deep relationship as pioneers on the frontier of America.
The Boys in the Band
Starring: Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells
Based on the 1968 play of the same name, a surprise guest and a drunken game leave seven gay friends reckoning with unspoken feelings and buried truths at a birthday party in ‘60s New York City.
Crush
Starring: Rowan Blanchard, Auli'i Cravalho, Isabella Ferreira, Tyler Alvarez
When an aspiring young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as an opportunity to pursue the girl she’s been harboring a long-time crush on.
Summer of 85
Starring: Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge
Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams. But will the dream last for more than one summer?
Swan Song
Starring: Udo Kier, Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie
A formerly flamboyant hairdresser takes a long walk across a small town to style a dead woman's hair.
The Half of It
Starring: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire
A shy straight-A student finds herself helping the school jock woo the girl they both secretly love.
Titane
Starring: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier
Following a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for 10 years.
Other People
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, Maude Apatow
In the midst of the worst year of his life, a 29-year-old gay man returns to Sacramento to care for his dying mother and deal with his conservative father.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Starring: John Cameron Mitchell, Andrea Martin, Michael Pitt, Miriam Shor
A gender-queer punk rock singer from East Berlin tours the U.S. with her band as she tells her life story while following the former lover who stole her songs.
Parallel Mothers
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde
The story of two mothers who bond in unexpected way after giving birth the same day.
Tangerine
Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O’Hagan
Shot on 3 iPhones, the film tells the story of a sex worker who, after hearing her boyfriend cheated on her while she was in jail, goes on a mission to track him down and teach him a lesson.
Happiest Season
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza
A young woman plans to propose to her girlfriend while at her family's annual holiday party. However, she doesn’t know her partner has yet to come out to her conservative family.
Love, Simon
Starring: Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford
A coming-of-age story about Simon Spier, who has a huge secret. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing
Three drag queens travel cross-country to Hollywood... until their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a small town.
The Power of the Dog
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
A pair of brothers who own a large ranch in Montana are pitted against each other when one of them gets married.
A Fantastic Woman
Starring: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim
Marina, a woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, is thrown into turmoil by the death of her partner.
Carol
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy
An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York, which comes with complicated consequences.
Booksmart
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis
The day before high school graduation, two overachiever best friends decide to cram four years of fun into one night.
Brokeback Mountain
Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams
Based on Annie Proulx’s short story of the same name, a rodeo cowboy and a ranch hand develop a deep lifelong connection that spans 20 years of their lives.
Boys Meets Boy
Starring: Matthew James Morrison, Alexandros Koutsoulis, Louis Labron-Johnson
Harry has been partying for 48 hours when he meets Johannes on the dance floor of a club in Berlin. With 15 hours until his flight home, Johannes offers to help him print his boarding pass. This mundane task leads to a day together wandering the city.
Shiva Baby
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Danny Deferrari
A college student has an awkward encounter with her sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend while attending a Jewish funeral service with her parents.
The Birdcage
Starring: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria
A gay club owner and his companion agree to put up a false straight front so their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing parents.
Disobedience
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola, Anton Lesser
A woman returns to the Orthodox Jewish community that shunned her for her attraction to a female childhood friend.
Parting Glances
Starring: Richard Ganoung, John Bolger, Steve Buscemi, Adam Nathan
One of the first films to address the AIDS pandemic, the drama revolves around a gay couple – one of which is leaving for a work assignment in Africa, while the other stays behind.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of a reluctant bride-to-be.
Call Me By Your Name
Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar
While spending the summer in Italy, a seventeen-year-old falls for his father’s research assistant – altering their lives forever.
Stage Mother
Starring: Jacki Weaver, Lucy Liu, Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor
A conservative church choir director inherits a drag club started by her deceased son.
What Keeps You Alive
Starring: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen
A young woman fights for her life as her wife's murderous intentions become evident while celebrating their one-year anniversary.
Pride
Starring: Billy Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine
U.K. gay activists work to help miners during their strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
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