Queer Rights Are Human Rights!
June is Pride Month – a month to celebrate the beauty of tolerance and diversity in society, in remembrance of the 1969 Stonewall protests in New York. The goal is not just to raise awareness, but also promote and support self-determination, equality and dignity, and increase the visibility of people in the LGBTQ+ community. Pride takes a stand against the societal stigma and discrimination that persist against queer people. June is Pride Month, but every month, Queer Rights Are Human Rights!
To express our solidarity, celebrate people from the LGBTQ+ community, and raise awareness and visibility, we've gathered some of the best documentaries for you, which are all available online.
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A Secret Love
by Chris Bolan (Germany I 2020 I 81 min)
Falling in love in 1947, two women - Pat Henschel and pro baseball player Terry Donahue - begin a 65-year journey of love and overcoming prejudice.
In telling one couple's story, A Secret Love pays understated yet powerful tribute to a lifetime of choices and sacrifices made in the name of enduring devotion.
Mr. Gay Syria
by Ayse Toprak (Germany I 2018 I 85 min)
Mr. Gay Syria follows two gay Syrian refugees who are trying to rebuild their lives. Husein is a barber in Istanbul, living a double life between his conservative family and gay identity. Mahmoud is the founder of Syria's LGBTQ+ movement and a refugee in Berlin. What brings them together is a dream: to participate in an international beauty contest as an escape from their trapped lives and an answer to their invisibility.
Open Windows
by Michèle Massé (Spain I 2014 I 62 min)
In Madrid and Paris, Boti, Empar, Micheline and Jocelyne, four lesbian women in their seventies, tell of their fears, desires and differences. They are still active, or activists, and refuse to be pushed aside because of their age. They live their everyday lives to the fullest, taking advantage of every opportunity. Beyond the taboos, they reflect on their loves, past and present, because their love lives and sex lives are not yet over.
Pansy!
by Lionel Bernard (France I 2015 I 68 min)
Artist Paul Harfleet’s family had always accepted his sexuality, but it was a different story outside the home. Like many young gay people, he regularly faced abuse. So, he developed the artistic Pansy Project to challenge homophobia and promote respect and tolerance.
I Am A Woman Now
by Michiel van Erp (Germany I 2011 I 80 min)
The first generation of transsexuals who had their sex change in Casablanca back in the mid-1950s to 1960s take stock of their lives. The women featured in the film were all treated by the same “miracle doctor” Georges Burou. A film about the pursuit of an almost unattainable dream, it explores the gap between its realization and the hard reality that sometimes follows.
Global Gay
by Rémi Lainé (France I 2014 I 76)
Global Gay is a contemporary saga that chronicles the battle for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers.
Millions of men and women throughout the world are condemned to live clandestinely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. But today the momentum for change is building…
Transhood
von Sharon Liese (USA I 2020 I 96 min)
Filmed over five years in Kansas City, Transhood chronicles the lives of four young people and their families as they navigate growing up transgender in America’s heartland. By sharing personal realities of how gender expression is reshaping their lives, the film explores how these families struggle and stumble through parenting, and how the kids are challenged and transformed as they experience the complexity of their identities.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
von David France (USA I 2017 I 105 min)
Victoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. The film uses archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activists.
Paris is Burning
by Jennie Livingston (USA I 1991 I 71 min)
Paris is Burning offers a vibrant glimpse into the drag and ball subculture of the 1980s, along with the African American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. It examines the system of “houses,” which serve as a means of shelter and solace for those who have been kicked out of their homes due to being LGBTQ+. These houses represent a community of friends that enable members to feel a sense of belonging after being estranged from their biological families.
The history of Pride Month began in New York on June 28, 1969, when police stormed the Stonewall Inn, a club for queer people, and arbitrarily arrested people. This was the straw that broke the camel's back: staff and customers fought back. The violence and oppression they experienced over the years erupted into open protest and resistance. Six days of protests followed. In memory of this event, the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade was organized in the following years, an inspiration for parades and marches all over the world.
