Jeremy's Top 10 Films With LGBTQ+ Stories

Okay, so all you need to do is look at the title and the film poster to know right away that this is a heavy film, so you've got to be in the right frame of mind for it, but we were pleasantly surprised when we caught this film on a flight last year from London to Toronto and definitely needed to use the napkins from the in-flight meal to dab a few tears. 

Far too many know the conflicting views of religion when trying to come to terms with their own identity and this film perfectly documented the experiences of so many individuals who had to endure the tortures of conversion therapy at the hands of their faith. 

A difficult watch, but we definitely recommend this film as it opened our eyes and helped us understand why it is so important to get behind these initiatives. We're all now seeing calls for the banning of conversion therapy across America and other countries around the world. Obviously, Nicole Kidman served it too, so NK fans, this one is a must-watch!

Okay, let's be honest, every musical is a liiiiiittle bit gay; that's what we love about them. But this one is REAAALLY gay, and we are absolutely HERE for it! We found ourselves humming the tunes from this one for weeks after. Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a great film for strong transgender heroes, as self destructive as the main character may be at times. 

The film follows the ups and downs of a struggling rockstar from East Germany who escapes to America and begins a lengthy, passionate and ultimately problematic love affair with a young, aspiring singer, Tommy. This film was such a fun watch and it even spawned a hit Broadway musical starring Neil Patrick Harris!

Who doesn't love a true-ish story? What we loved about this film is that it was all about two very different groups of people learning to understand and support one another through a common enemy: Margaret Thatcher! Also, is it just us or are all the best films set in the 80s? 

Revolving around the British Miners' Strike, this historical, comedy-drama follows a group of LGBTQ+ activists as they lend their help to the families affected by the strike and form an unlikely bond during a period in history where public support for the LGBTQ+ community was significantly lacking. We found it an easy watch and actually learned a few things about the history of the strike along the way too.

Ever wondered why RuPaul is always going on about reading being fundamental and opening and closing that damn library? 


Well now is the time to find out! If you love Ryan Murphy's Pose, then Paris is Burning will tell you all you need to know about the origins of the underground ballroom scene that emerged in the 80s in New York City, laying the groundwork for Madonna, the queens of many seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race, and Pose.


We loved this documentary film for many reasons, but its focus on representing the Black, Latino, gay and transgender communities, who contributed to the art form and created a sense of community through their 'house' culture, was inspiring, especially considering so many needed this during the height of the AIDS crisis that was ravaging New York City at the time.

Seen the 2020 hit television series, Love, Victor? Well, you need to go back to where it all began with Love, Simon. We love a good coming out story; maybe because we love the fact that school-aged children are actually seeing coming out stories on the big screen now and we wish we could have seen that when we were coming to terms with our own identities as teens. 

Love, Simon is just that: a coming out story of an American high-schooler and while it may have its cheesy moments, it is a feel good film that racks up another point for LGBTQ+ visibility on the big screen. Keep your eyes out for THAT scene with Jennifer Garner. You'll know what we mean when you see it...

So we were not expecting a significant LGBTQ+ presence in this film and we'll be honest, we were just looking for a simple comedy to help us escape the work week. So we were more than pleasantly surprised to find a significant lesbian love story embedded in the plot here. 

It wasn't that long ago that gay, lesbian and transgender communities were the butt of jokes in so many blockbuster comedies, but as that begins to change we are now getting laugh-out-loud comedies like Booksmart that are serving laughs and equality at the same time. Take note Hollywood; it IS possible!

This film definitely painted Fire Island in a light we had never seen before. It's always nice when a film with predominantly LGBTQ+ characters diverts from the typical coming out, coming of age, romance story lines and paired with a different genre like horror, or in this case, thriller. 

Last Ferry is a 2019 film that depicts the story of a young lawyer who travels to the notorious island in an attempt to explore his sexuality, but gets more than he bargains for when he becomes witness to a murder, resulting in a life and death fight to escape back to the mainland. 

Okay, so we love horrors and psychological thrillers, so this film did all the right things for us: throw the popcorn, pull the blanket up to our eyebrows and nearly jump off the couch more times than we'd like to admit!

The film that made Timothée Chalamet a household name, Call Me By Your Name, based on the book of the same name, follows the love affair of 17 year old Elio with his father's graduate assistant over a summer in 1983 in Northern Italy. 

We loved the story but the Italian countryside setting was a beautiful compliment to the film's story too. A story of first love, this romantic film took us on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with a scene that did the same for the reputation of a peach, that American Pie did for apple pies. We hear there may even be a sequel on the cards and we'll be first in line if that hits the big screen!

If you're looking for elephants, tigers and bears (oh my!), then you're going to need to look elsewhere. Circus of Books is an eye-opening Netflix Documentary, following a straight, Jewish couple who for decades, ran one of the most renowned gay pornography shops in the United States, unbeknownst to the rest of their family; even their own children. 

What makes this documentary so interesting is the contrast between the family's religious upbringing and the business that was secretly run for decades by this husband and wife. You'll hear from not just their clients and the business owners themselves, but their children and the impact it had on them when they discovered what their parents did for a living. 

Keeping business and family separate was easy for this couple, until one of their children began to question their own identity. Personally, we really loved this documentary and to see the positive impact they had on their community and clients, and the journey it took them on as a family was really lovely.

Grab a box of tissues... Scrap that, grab a Costco-sized box of tissues! For those of you that remember the ground-breaking series Queer as Folk from the late 90s, well Russell T Davies is back with another serving of unapologetic gay television as he tackles the emerging AIDS crisis in yet another 1980s set drama. 

Told through the eyes of a group of friends living in London, this poignant tale will stay with you for days, if not weeks afterwards. It serves as a reminder for the youth of today what life was like for gay men of the late 20th century and the heartbreaking losses they and their families had to endure.

Not all gloom and doom, It's a Sin is punctuated with heartwarming and comedic moments as well, that helps make this a must watch - it was a definite binge for us and we know you'll fall in love with the characters like we did. Definitely one to add to the basket!