Essential and Fabulous LQBTQIA+ Documentary Picks to Stream or Rent Now
To celebrate Pride Month, we've put together a list of some of our favorite LQBTQIA+ documentaries that are available to rent or stream.
List activity
8.5K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
35 titles
- DirectorDavid FranceStarsKurt WolfeSue YackaCatherine Shugrue Dos SantosVictoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. Using archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activists.
- DirectorShirley ClarkeStarsJason HollidayShirley ClarkeCarl LeeBlack gay prostitute Jason Holliday is rigorously interviewed on his story and character, revealing nuanced truths about life and art.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsDivineMichael MustoMark PayneHow Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, became John Waters' cinematic muse and an international drag icon.
- DirectorDavid FranceStarsPeter StaleyLarry KramerIris LongThe 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.
- DirectorJamal SimsStarsAnthony DavisExplores the development of bucking, an energetic form of the dance, from the point of view of Anthony Davis, an Atlanta native who helped popularize it.Available to Stream on WOW Presents Plus
- DirectorKatherine Fairfax WrightMalika Zouhali-WorrallStarsDavid BahatiLou EngleLong JohnIn Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato - Uganda's first openly gay man - and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combating vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one, not even the filmmakers, is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes the movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.
- DirectorVictor SilvermanSusan StrykerStarsRay BaxterElliot BlackstoneAleshia BrevardDocumentary about transgender women and drag queens who fought police harassment at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin in 1966, three years before the famous riot at Stonewall Inn bar in NYC.
- DirectorDavid WeissmanBill WeberStarsEd WolfDaniel GoldsteinGuy ClarkA deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.
- DirectorJim HubbardStarsDavid BarrKen BingGregg BordowitzUnited in Anger: A History of ACT UP is an inspiring documentary about the birth and life of the AIDS activist movement from the perspective of the people in the trenches fighting the epidemic. Utilizing oral histories of members of ACT UP, as well as rare archival footage, the film depicts the efforts of ACT UP as it battles corporate greed, social indifference, and government negligence.Available to Stream on Canopy
- DirectorRob EpsteinStarsHarvey FiersteinHarvey MilkAnne KronenbergA documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsTab HunterClint EastwoodPaul NewmanThe story of matinee idol Tab Hunter from teenage stable boy to closeted Hollywood star of the 1950s.
- DirectorMatt TyrnauerStarsScotty BowersWilliam MannDavid KuhnA portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.
- DirectorGreta SchillerRobert RosenbergStarsRita Mae BrownBruce NugentHenry OtisThe history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement.
- DirectorAntonio SantiniDan SicklesStarsJason CarriónPaxx MollAlberic PradosA documentary about the power of transformation told through the eyes of 9 trans-identifying individuals in Puerto Rico.
- DirectorDean HamerJoe WilsonStarsLeo Anderson AkanaHaemaccelo KaluHo'Onani KamaiA transgender Native Hawaiian teacher inspires a young girl to fulfill her destiny of leading the school's male hula troupe, even as she struggles to find love and a committed relationship in her own life.
- DirectorMatt LivadaryChronicles a complete season of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) as the courageous cowboys and cowgirls brave challenges in and out of the arena on their quest to the World Finals.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsLily TomlinTony CurtisSusie BrightA documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
- DirectorJennie LivingstonStarsBrooke XtravaganzaAndré ChristianDorian CoreyA chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.Available to Stream on Criterion Channel
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsPhyllis AntonellisGeorge BancroftRichard BarriosThe story of Vito Russo, founding father of the gay liberation movement, author of "The Celluloid Closet," and vociferous AIDS activist in the 1980s.
- DirectorFrank SimonStarsBernard GiquelJack DoroshowJim DineThe behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in New York City, including the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room and the jealousies that emerge before and after the competition.
- DirectorPJ RavalStarsDennis CreamerTy MartinRobert MainorFrom Stonewall to #LoveWins, three gay seniors navigate the adventures, challenges and surprises of life and love in their golden years.
- DirectorJames RasinStarsCandy DarlingAndy WarholHolly WoodlawnA documentary on Candy Darling, The Life and Times of the Andy Warhol Superstar.
- DirectorMonika TreutStarsSusan StrykerTexas TomboyAnnie SprinkleMonika Treut explores the worlds and thoughts of several transgender individuals. As with Treuts first film, Jungfrauenmaschine, Gendernauts, enters a minority sector of San Fransisco culture. The individuals in this film are people whose assigned gender at birth does not match their social gender identity. The subject is pinpointed in the film independent of sexual orientation. Leave your conservative hats at the door, this is going to need your special attention.Available to Stream on Kanopy
- DirectorMarlon RiggsStarsMarlon RiggsMichael BellKerrigan BlackA documentary about the experiences of black homosexual men living in the United States of America.Available to Stream on Kanopy and Criterion Channel
- DirectorIan BonhôtePeter EttedguiStarsAlexander McQueenJoyce McQueenJohn HitchcockThe life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.
- DirectorDonal MosherMichael PalmieriStarsMx Justin Vivian BondAnita BryantLove, faith, and civil rights collide in the south as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to explore the meaning of belief. Gospel drag shows and passion plays set the stage for one hell of a show.
- DirectorGöran Hugo OlssonStarsPeter BeardLee RadziwillJacqueline KennedyMontauk, East Hampton, New York, 2016. Peter Beard discusses his work as a photographer, artist and diarist before reminiscing about his attempt to make a documentary in the summer of 1972 with his friend Lee Radziwill (younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), focusing on their childhood and the 20th- century history of East Hampton.
- DirectorChristopher HinesStarsAnthony O'BrienShane StielDakota RiversGay men and their pursuit of physical perfection.
- DirectorTina MascaraGuido SantiStarsW.H. AudenDon BachardyTed BachardyThe love story between British writer, Christopher Isherwood (whose book 'The Berlin Stories' inspired the musical and film Cabaret) and Don Bachardy, American portrait artist.
- DirectorJohn ScagliottiStarsCraig RodwellMelissa EtheridgeMike CarneyDocumentary/Historical retrospective of the Gay Rights movement from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the present.
- DirectorDaniel G. KarslakeStarsImogene RobinsonVictor RobinsonGene RobinsonAn exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.Available to Stream on Kanopy and to Rent on iTunes
- DirectorKate NovackStarsAndré Leon TalleyBethann HardisonMarc JacobsThis intimate portrait for André Leon Tally, a fixture in the world of fashion, takes viewers on a journey from André’s roots growing up to becoming one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.
- DirectorKevin KerslakeStarsJoan JettDavid BowieEvelyn McDonnellDocumentary about rock star Joan Jett.
- DirectorDavid ThorpeStarsDavid ThorpeGeorge TakeiTim GunnA documentary about the stereotype of the gay voice.
- Because of an Earlier Incident is an exclusive day-in-the-life glimpse into the vibrant lifestyles of NYC artists.