Movie Documentary History
New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips and personal recollections to construct an audiovisual history of the gay community before the Stonewall riots.
Similiar movies
After Stonewall
This sequel to "Before Stonewall" documents the history of gay and lesbian life from the riots at Stonewall in 1969 to the present. Narrated by Melissa Etheridge, the film explains the work, struggles, victories, and defeats the gay community has weathered to become a vibrant and integral part of North American society.
Cured
Mentally ill. Deviant. Diseased. And in need of a cure. These were among the terms psychiatrists used to describe gay women and men in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. And as long as they were “sick”, progress toward equality was impossible. This documentary chronicles the battle waged by a small group of activists who declared war against a formidable institution – and won a crucial victory in the modern movement for LGBTQIA+ equality.
Torch Song Trilogy
A very personal story that is both funny and poignant, TORCH SONG TRILOGY chronicles a New Yorker's search for love, respect and tradition in a world that seems not especially made for him.
How to Survive a Plague
A story of two coalitions – ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) – whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time.
It's in the Water
When hordes of gays and lesbians come out "of the closet" in the fictional town of Azalea Springs, Texas, intolerant residents go into a panic about the water supply.
The Times of Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.
I Am Not Your Negro
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.
A Very Sordid Wedding
Del Shores' follow-up to "Sordid Lives" revisits Winters, Texas for a showdown between the gradually liberalizing locals and the new fundamentalist preacher in the wake of the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision.
Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Castro
Now known internationally as the world's first "gay hometown," San Francisco's Castro District was a quiet, working-class neighborhood of European immigrants only a few decades ago. In this documentary, the story of the Castro's transformation is told by those who lived it, young and old, straight and gay. It's a tale of social upheaval, exuberant street culture, political assassination, and the inspiring coming-of-age of an entire community an ongoing saga even today.
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride
Over the course of a year, film follows Vancouver Pride Society president Ken Coolen to various international Pride events, including Poland, Hungary, Russia, Sri Lanka and others where there is great opposition to pride parades. In North America, Pride is complicated by commercialization and a sense that the festivals are turning away from their political roots toward tourism, party promotion and entertainment. Christie documents the ways larger, more mainstream Pride events have supported the global Pride movement and how human rights components are being added to more established events. In the New York sequence, leaders organize an alternative Pride parade, the Drag March, set up to protest the corporatization of New York Pride. A parade in São Paulo, the world's largest Pride festival, itself includes a completely empty float, meant to symbolize all those lost to HIV and to anti-gay violence.
Similiar TV Shows
RuPaul's Drag Race
Join RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, as the host, mentor and judge for the ultimate in drag queen competitions. The top drag queens in the U.S. will vie for drag stardom as RuPaul, in full glamazon drag, will reign supreme in all judging and eliminations while helping guide the contestants as they prepare for each challenge.
When We Rise
The personal and political struggles, setbacks and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today. The period piece tells the history of the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.
Eyes on the Prize
The definitive story of the Civil Rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberation continue to be felt today.
Stephen Fry: Out There
Stephen Fry explores first-hand how the lives of men and women in different communities across the globe have been impacted by their sexuality. He sets out to explore what lies beneath people’s prejudices and why some people feel so threatened by homosexuality.
The Vietnam War
An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
Separate but Equal
A two-part miniseries. Dramatizes the events leading up to the 1954 Supreme Court decision on school desegregation, "Brown vs. Board of Education."
RuPaul's Drag Race UK
RuPaul has made the trip across the pond in search of a queen with the most charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent in all the land.
Canada's Drag Race
Drag queens showcase their Canadian charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to become Canada's Next Drag Superstar and to win the $100,000 grand prize.
Drag Heals
RuPaul brought Drag Race into the homes of millions and made the once taboo art form mainstream. This newfound renaissance has inspired a new generation to explore the art of drag and challenge the constructs of gender. While RuPaul’s Drag Race is a competition, Drag Heals is a documentary journey that follows men who have never worn heels or make-up but have always dreamed of letting their inner drag queen out. These men (and aspiring queens!) enter Canada’s first ever Drag class to explore how to create a compelling drag persona based on personal experience. For most, this is akin to a second coming out process. The culmination of the workshops will be a public performance where they will face down their fears of stepping into the limelight. Drag is typically viewed from a distance; Drag Heals gives unparalleled access to the creation of a performance that is more than just your average lip sync.
Queen of the Universe
Eurovision-like singing competition featuring drag queens from around the world who compete to be crowned the Ultimate Queen of the Universe
Call Me Mother
Three drag legends, Peppermint, Crystal and Barbada adopt the next generation of talent into their new drag houses and mentor them through the mother of all drag competitions. Each performer competes for the title, ‘First Child of Drag’, through a series of challenges that elevate, test and showcase their best drag.
Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World
The second edition of RuPaul's Drag Race vs The World will be hosted in Canada with many queens from various Drag Race franchises going missing from social media. The season was officially confirmed by Canada's Drag Race on Instagram on June 9, 2022 by Brooke Lynn Hytes with confirmation of a 2022 release.
Inside the Producer's Studio with Kandy Muse
The Muse is back! In this tea-ridden series from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 and All Stars 8 finalist Kandy Muse, Kandy embodies the role she was born to play - The Producer. Kandy's revisiting the spiciest drama, iconic Untucked fights and behind-the-scenes havoc with the help of some of her favorite Drag Race sisters.
Vito
In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.