The LGBTQ community has always had to fight for their right to equal treatment and legal protections, and that fight is in no way finished today. Even as the U.S. has made huge strides with the passage of same-sex marriage laws and job protections for LGBTQ employees, each and every step toward those victories has been hard-won, and the gay rights movement is full of stories that need telling. These movies and TV shows focusing on the fight for gay rights in the U.S. and notable figures from across the movement, from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the life of Harvey Milk, will remind you exactly why we have to keep fighting for LGBTQ acceptance and equality — because unfortunately, stories of discrimination and homophobia are still rampant today.
Whether you’re looking for a long-form series, dramatic biopic, or prefer to get straight to the source with a documentary, these viewing picks will enhance your understanding of where we are in the fight for equality and inspire you with their stories of activism and sacrifice. Read on for the best viewing picks to learn more about American’s gay rights movement.
Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
‘Pride’. (2021)
TV series Pride takes a far-reaching look at the experience of being homosexual in America, from the 1950s Lavendar Scare to New York City during the 1980s AIDs epidemic, featuring interviews with civil rights leaders from the time including Audre Lorde and tracing the trans rights movement back to pioneers like Christine Jorgenson and Flawless Sabrina.
Watch on Hulu.
‘Equal’ (2020)
Samira Wiley, Jamie Clayton, Anthony Rapp, and more star in series Equal on landmark events in the fight for LGBTQ equality, a TV show that’s part documentary footage and part re-enactments of some of the movement’s lesser-known heroes and unsung victories over the years.
Watch on HBO Max.
‘The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson’ (2017)
This 2017 documentary tells the story of Marsha P. Johnson, a pivotal figure in the days-long Stonewall riots, co-founder of S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries), drag queen, and so much more. Her life and larger-than-life persona in NYC come forward in this vibrant portrait of her effect on the movement.
Watch on Hulu.
‘Stonewall’ (1995)
This 1995 film is a fictional account of the weeks leading up to the 1969 Stonewall riots at the eponymous Greenwich Village gay bar in a group of young LGBT people living in NYC.
‘And The Band Played On’ (1993)
When Lily Tomlin is involved, you know it’s good. And The Band Played On tells the story of the doctors who investigated the early stages of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, highlighting how gay activists were instrumental in their early work.
Watch on HBO Max.
‘Brother Outsider’ (2003)
Brother Outsider gets into the intersection of the fight for gay rights and the fight for racial equality that took hold in the 1960s civil rights movement, as exemplified in activist Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man known for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who fought for a wide variety of human rights causes.
Watch on Sundance Now.
‘The Case Against 8’ (2014)
California’s Proposition 8 was an attempt to ban same-sex marriage passed in 2008, and this documentary shows the legal battle taken to overturn it.
Watch on HBO Max.
‘Milk’ (2008)
Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk in this Gus Van Sant-directed biopic about the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. Milk’s political career was tragically cut short when he was assassinated by city supervisor Dan White, played in the film by Josh Brolin.
‘Disclosure’ (2020)
This 2020 documentary executive produced by Laverne Cox is an in-depth look at how transgender people have been represented in movies and on TV, including testimonies from transgender celebrities on how representation has affected them personally.
Watch on Netflix.
‘The Times of Harvey Milk’ (1984)
This 1984 documentary narrated by Harvey Fierstein came less than 10 years after Harvey Milk’s death and told of the rise of the Castro district in San Francisco that was so instrumental to his success.
Leave a Comment