6 Pride Month Movies That Will Help You Advance The Woke Agenda

Two in five corporate sponsors have officially ended their support of queerness prior to this year’s Pride festivities in the U.S. (“Oh noooooo,” cried the queer community, sarcastically.)

But that just means that it’s up to the rest of us to further the queer cause by doing what we do best: Absolutely nothing. That is: Watching queer movies as a form of activism. Allow me to explain. 

Queer people, including myself, have become complacent after falling prey to the woke mind virus (I’m using that term correctly, right?), and we’ve forgotten what it’s like to fight for visibility. But if we’re going to sit around distracting ourselves with series, movies, and TikTok videos, then we might as well watch a few things that light a fire under our butts. Here are seven movies to watch during Pride Month that will not only entertain you, but also inspire you to speak truth to power and fight on behalf of queerness. These selections are for queer people and allies alike!

Pride (2014)

This is the kind of feel-good film that can also inspire you to be a better person. Set in 1984 in the United Kingdom during a miners’ strike, the film follows queer activists as they raise money for striking workers in Wales. The result is a funny and moving exploration of surprise alliances, lateral shared oppression, and the importance of solidarity. Queer liberation has historically been tied to other social causes, and now is a perfect time to remember this in the U.S. as trans people and immigrants are systematically stripped of their rights.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)

If you’re going to pick one month of the year to watch a queer AF documentary, then it might as well be Pride Month. This doc, as directed by David France, investigates the untimely and suspicious passing of Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans activist who was credited with co-launching the Stonewall Rebellion, igniting the queer rights movement. Her tragic death and inspiring life may be the film’s nominal subject, but the lives of trans women of color are the real heart of this movie.

Bros (2022) 

OK, so maybe this movie won’t inspire you to build your own Pride float and single-handedly lead an armed rebellion against DOGE. But it does touch upon some historic obstacles to the queer rights movement: heteronormativity, tokenism, performative allyship, and, ironically, corporate Pride. The movie’s jokes about the latter phenomenon are ringing even more true now that corporations have shown just how tenuous their support of queer people was to begin with. 

Tongues Untied (1989)

This documentary is directed by the poet and activist Marlon Riggs, ensuring that it has an inspiring political message. By telling the stories of Black gay men in America before the rapid development of queer rights and Black Lives Matter movement, it challenges both racism and homophobia in a way that still feels raw and powerful.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

If you need a palate cleanser after a hard-hitting Pride Month documentary, then Hedwig might scratch your itch. This punk-rock cult musical about a gender*ck East German lounge singer is outrageous, bombastic, and ultimately gorgeous in its scope. Beneath the sequins and catchy tunes lie a trio of meaty themes: gender, bodily autonomy, and self-actualization. If you’re looking for something to get you in a reflective mood as you rise up to face the haters, Hedwig is the move. 

BPM (2017)

Set in Paris in the early ‘90s, BPM is essential viewing for both current and budding activists. The movie follows the passionate members of ACT UP as they demand recognition and action from the French government in their ongoing battle to end the AIDS crisis. Your heart will swoon, break, and leap for these characters as they literally fight for their lives, and the scenes of protests are expertly choreographed to capture both the urgency and intimacy of the wider ACT UP movement. The end result is not just a celebration of resilience and bravery, but also a gut-wrenching memorial to those who died because of an establishment’s indifference. It’s the kind of rallying cry that we all need right now — and more prescient than ever.

Happy Pride.