LGBTQ+ Representation in Movies & TV

Happy Pride Month! Gay and lesbian representation in film and television has come a long way, but LGBTQ+ representation as a whole still has a long way to go. Here are examples from our shelves—some dated, some with stereotypes, some with an overwhelming focus on pain—but most with a good-natured motive to portray a true aspect of lived experience. Check one out during June or anytime.

Killing Eve, season 1, dvd

• This spy-versus-assassin drama features two women with undeniable chemistry, but a resolution that may leave some viewers disappointed.

Boy Erased, dvd

• This drama, based on a true story, features a closeted gay teen forced to go to a conversion therapy program.

Bohemian Rhapsody, dvd | blu-ray

• This musical drama tells the story of rock band Queen and its bisexual frontman, Freddie Mercury. Mercury's sexuality is not a focus of the film.

Moonlight, dvd

• This Best Picture winner tells the heartrending story of Chiron finding his identity as a gay black man, at three points in his life.

Challengers, blu-ray

• Built around a love triangle between three tennis players, two male and one female, this film concentrates on the athletic and romantic rivalry of Art and Patrick, and their attraction to and obsession with one another.

Knock at the Cabin, dvd | blu-ray

• This psychological horror film based on a novel by Paul Tremblay features a family of two gay men and their daughter on vacation.

The Matrix, blu-ray

• This groundbreaking sci-fi action film, directed by the Wachowskis, is often interpreted as an allegory for the transgender experience.

The Danish Girl, blu-ray

• A historical drama based on a novel by David Ebershoff and loosely based on the true story of Lili Elbe, a painter who is one of the earliest recipients of gender reassignment surgery; it is criticized for diverting from true facts of Elbe's life and for the casting of cis man Eddie Redmayne as a transgender woman.

Brokeback Mountain, blu-ray

• A love story of two repressed cowboys who meet up periodically through the years, based on the story by Annie Proulx.

Dallas Buyers Club, blu-ray

• This film is based on the true story of a man who smuggled and sold experimental AIDS drugs during the 1980s; it was criticized for the casting of cis man Jared Leto as a transgender woman.

Love, Simon, dvd

• Based on a YA novel by Becky Albertalli, this teen dramedy focuses on the difficulties of being queer and closeted in high school.

Rocketman, dvd | blu-ray

• Taron Egerton gives an incredible performance as Elton John in this biopic about the life and career of the notable gay performer and activist.

The Color Purple, dvd | blu-ray

• This is a film of the musical version of Alice Walker's groundbreaking novel that includes a queer relationship between two women. (Also a non-musical 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg.)

Hairspray, dvd

• This is the film of the musical version of John Waters' 1988 film. It includes some of the queer humor and subtext of the original, but John Travolta's performance as Edna (while funny and sweet) is the least queer incarnation of the character originally played by drag performer Divine and embodied by Harvey Fierstein on Broadway.

Bros, dvd | blu-ray

• It's the mainstream gay romantic comedy everyone was waiting for! Charming and funny.

Jojo Siwa's DREAM: The Concert Experience, dvd

• A fun concert video from the one-time Dance Moms star who has been a visible and outspoken bisexual person as an adult.

Some Like It Hot, blu-ray

• This classic comedy farce features Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag throughout, posing as women to evade law enforcement.

Blockers, blu-ray

• This silly, raunchy film about three girls wanting to have sex on prom night and the trio of parents who try to stop them includes a closeted lesbian character who comes out to her father and friends.

Lightyear, dvd | blu-ray

• This Pixar film, the backstory for Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, includes "a significant female character who is in a meaningful relationship with another woman." - Variety

I Love You Phillip Morris, ​blu-ray

• A black comedy about a con artist who falls in love with a fellow inmate, then breaks out of prison multiple times in order to reunite with him.

The Mitchells vs the Machines, dvd | blu-ray

• A kid-friendly animated comedy about a family roadtrip to save the world from a robot uprising with a queer lead character. Katie's queerness is implied, but also obvious, and is just one part of who she is.

Free Fall, dvd

• A German film about a man torn between exploring his sexuality with a colleague and living a settled life with his pregnant girlfriend.

Spoiler Alert, dvd | blu-ray

• This comedy-drama, based on a true story, features a committed gay couple throughout their relationship.

Before You Know It, dvd

• This documentary follows three gay senior men.

We Were Here, dvd

• A documentary about the impact of AIDS on the gay community in San Francisco.

Codebreaker, dvd

• A "docudrama" about Alan Turing, who was a pivotal codebreaker for Britain in WWII, but was ultimately prosecuted for being gay and was chemically castrated as punishment.

Every Body, dvd

• This documentary focuses on the lives of three intersex individuals, fostering community for intersex people, and speaking out against non-consensual surgery performed on infants and children.

No Ordinary Man, dvd

• This documentary features the life of jazz musician Billy Tipton, who was revealed to be transgender after his death.