Queer documentary
Queer documentaries do more than just archive LGBTQ+ history— they construct a tapestry of rich lived experiences that would have otherwise been neglected. This list highlights some of the best queer documentaries that remind us why representation in nonfiction storytelling matters.
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Gramercy Stories (2008)
A heartfelt, candid, look at a unique housing project in Manhattan where twenty-five gay and transgender teens find safety after facing violence at home or on the streets.
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Greetings from Washington, D.C. (1981)
A record of the First National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
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The Agressives (2005)
Follows the lives and journeys of six masculine-presenting LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City.
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Max (1992)
Trailblazing trans writer Max Wolf Valerio shares his story and journey through transition in one of the earliest film portraits of a trans man.
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Paris is Burning (1990)
An intimate portrait of New York City's 1980s drag ball scene.
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Silence = Death (1990)
Chronicles the response of gay artists in NYC to the AIDS crisis.
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Southern Comfort (2001)
Follows the final year in the life of Robert Eads, a transgender man dying of ovarian cancer.
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The Battle of Tuntenhaus (1992)
Follows the inhabitants of the Tuntenhaus ("house of queers") through the days of anarchy and riots that followed German reunification.
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The Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire, Too (1993)
A look at the first year of an NYC-based equal rights group known as the Lesbian Avengers.
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Shinjuku Boys (1995)
An intimate portrait of three transgender men working at a Tokyo nightclub.
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The Queen (1968)
A behind the scenes look at the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant.
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Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc’s Adventures in Plastic (2001)
Phranc—a butch lesbian musician who gained underground fame in LA’s punk scene before reinventing herself as “America’s favorite Jewish lesbian folk singer” and touring with bands like the Smiths and Hüsker Dü—now takes on an unexpected new path as a Tupperware saleswoman.
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Gay USA (1977)
Footage from a collection of American gay pride marches in 1977.
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The Salt Mines (1990)
The stories of three trans women living in the salt deposits in Manhattan.
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The Transformation (1996)
Follows Sara — a character from “The Salt Mines” — who, due to financial and social pressures, is now living as a man in a Texas evangelical community.
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Streetwise (1984)
Featuring prominent LGBTQ+ characters, Streetwise examines the lives of the youngest members of Seattle’s homeless population.