10 Must-Watch LGBTQ+ Documentaries

L.A.: A Queer History

The 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City has been widely regarded as the beginning of the Gay Civil Rights Movement, but the true heart of the movement was born in Los Angeles. L.A.: A Queer History sheds light on historical figures who are largely unacknowledged, creating a newfound dialogue about LGBTQ+ history.

Episode one, "Culture & Criminalization," analyzes LGBTQ+ culture and community during the early Hollywood era. In contrast, episode two, "Protests and Parades," highlights advocacy and protest efforts leading to the Civil Rights Movement.

Stream both episodes in full on the PBS App or tune into the preview below.

The Pursuit

The Pursuit is a reflection on the fight for LGBTQ+ rights more than 50 years since protesters gathered in front of the historic Independence Hall and called for an end to discrimination against homosexuals. Contrasting stories from LGBTQ+ experiences past and present, a complex and vibrant picture emerges that demonstrates how far the community has come and how far there is left to go.

Tune into the full documentary below.

Mustache Mondays

This episode of the Emmy award-winning arts and culture series Artbound examines how an LGBTQ+ night club event in Los Angeles called Mustache Mondays became a creative incubator for today’s leading-edge contemporary artists. The film also evaluates the history of these spaces and how they shaped the Queer cultural fabric unique to Southern California.

Stream the full documentary below.

Out North

Out North: MNLGBTQ History explores the untold past of Minnesota's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. The documentary celebrates strides the state has made since the gay liberation movement began in the 1970s.

It also includes profiles of influential leaders in the community, such as artist Clement Haupers, who refused to be labeled, and Andrea Jenkins, whose oral history project offers a window into the lived experience of transgender pioneers.

Stream the documentary in full on the PBS App or run into the clips below.

Casa Susanna

In the 1950s and ’60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a house in the Catskills region of New York. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe place for members of the transgender community to express their true selves and live as they had always dreamed.

Told through the memories of those who visited the house, the American Experience film provides a look back at a secret world where the persecuted and frightened found freedom, acceptance and, often, the courage to live out of the shadows.

Stream the full documentary below.

Stonewall Uprising

When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the streets erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

The American Experience film explores the events that led to the uprisings and the lasting impacts it had on the LGBTQ+ community. It served as another step toward achieving equal rights and inspired the first gay pride parade in June 1969.

Stream the full documentary or tune into the clips below.

No Straight Lines

When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comics artists whose uncensored commentary left no topic untouched and explored art as a tool for social change.

Stream the full documentary with PBS Passport or watch the trailer below.

Mama Bears

They call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights. Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGBTQ+ people, these mothers are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to champion their kids—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds.

Stream the full documentary with PBS Passport or watch the trailer below.

UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos

Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) was founded in 1981, only a few years before HIV/AIDS began to ravage LGBTQ communities. GLLU was the Los Angeles area’s first major Queer Latin organization, and the film chronicles events at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ+ equality, women’s rights, and civil rights movements that shaped the destinies of GLLU’s communities.

Stream the full documentary below. 

Wisconsin Pride

Wisconsin has a long, but hidden, LGBTQ+ history. Before the national Civil Rights Movement, gay Wisconsinites liberated themselves to live as their authentic selves and made unique contributions to their state’s history. In the 1970s and ‘80s, LGBTQ+ leaders' fight for equality earned Wisconsin the nickname the "Gay Rights State."

Episode one, "Hidden Histories," uncovers LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites contributions to art, athletics, military service, and more. Episode two, "Struggles & Victories," highlights those who fought against oppressive homophobia and formed a movement that scored unprecedented civil rights protections.

Stream both episodes in full on the PBS App or tune into the preview below.