Every summer, Pride — a celebration of LGBTQIA+ joy — is kicked off in cities around the world. One of the remarkable things championed is the incredible depth and diversity of the queer community. As millions of people come together to commemorate what it means to be proud, the greatest tribute is in how varied and multifaceted the global village is shown to be. 

From thrilling animation to weighty drama, from camp musical performances to harrowingly heartfelt romances, from cackle-inducing comedy specials to crucial documentaries about the struggles and triumphs of the LGBTQIA+ community, here is an array of films on Netflix that touch on the many sides of LGBTQIA+ life. 

Will & Harper

This documentary is proof that queer stories can blast off at any age. Part buddy comedy, part classic American road trip journey, Will & Harper centers on the bond between comic legend Will Ferrell and his old friend Harper Steele. They first met when Harper was pretransition and serving as the head writer at SNL with Ferrell in the cast. Now, after Steele’s gender transition, they reacquaint themselves with each other while criss-crossing the country in a vintage Jeep, all of it caught on camera for our edification and amusement. “The biggest question when people come out of the closet is, ‘Will I still be loved?’ ” Steele asks early in the film. Viewers have given her a resounding answer: yep.

Will & Harper

1h 54m   R   2024

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Rustin

Bayard Rustin is one of the most important figures in American history, and yet, in no small part because of his queerness, he’s often been left out of the historical canon. Produced by Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, this 2023 biopic starring the beloved gay icon Colman Domingo is here to correct the record. The film tells the story of Rustin’s essential role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, including his close personal friendship with Martin Luther King Jr., which grows fraught when Rustin’s openly gay identity becomes a source of tension. Still, as the film shows, Rustin’s impact on the advancement of rights in America is indisputable — no matter how many people have tried to deny it. 

Rustin

1h 48m   PG-13   2023

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Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

The queer community has always faced adversity with flair and — just as importantly — a sense of humor. Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration brings together comic legends Billy Eichner, Eddie Izzard, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho and more for a night of live laughs at the Greek Theatre in LA. As Bob the Drag Queen frames it during her set, it’s just a good ol‘ fashioned “super gay night of comedy.” By the time Trixie Mattel closes the evening with a slightly remixed take on a Cyndi Lauper classic, it is in and of itself a showcase for one simple maxim: “Gays just wanna have fun.” 

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

1h 36m   TV-MA   2022

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Maestro

Based on the story of the legendary classical conductor, Maestro is director and lead actor Bradley Cooper’s take on the life and times of Leonard Bernstein, who was known to have had romantic relationships with both men and women. The film’s focus on how he and wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein juggle the complications of an unconventional relationship resonates across the ages.   

Maestro

2h 11m   R   2023

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Gaga: Five Foot Two

Pop divas are an essential part of the pride experience, and none are seen as bigger than Lady Gaga, who made an entire album, 2011’s Born This Way, dedicated to themes of queer self-acceptance and discovery. This 2017 music documentary takes a peek behind the scenes to see the real artist — beyond the persona — as she preps for her showstopping Super Bowl halftime show. Gaga: Five Foot Two is an intimate portrait of a woman who the LGBTQ+ community rightly consider family.

Gaga: Five Foot Two

1h 40m   TV-MA   2017

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Nimona

Nimona is an animated hero’s tale with a queer knight (voiced by Riz Ahmed) and a shape-shifting sidekick (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) at the heart of the action. Adapted from the graphic novel by ND Stevenson, the plot revolves around the fluidity of identity and the feeling of being an outsider, with additional voice contributions from LGBTQ+ figures like RuPaul and Julio Torres. Ultimately, the film’s power is in reminding us that everyone deserves their own version of a storybook ending. 

Nimona

1h 42m   PG   2023

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Your Name Engraved Herein

Taiwan’s all-time highest-grossing LGBTQIA+ film, Your Name Engraved Herein centers around the story of two male students falling in love amidst the political and cultural chaos of the late 1980s, when martial law in the country was finally lifted. The movie is inspired by the high school memories of director Patrick Liu, who captures the magic feeling of an epic first love.

Your Name Engraved Herein

1h 54m   TV-MA   2020

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The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone

Trans activist Georgie Stone has always felt certain about her gender identity, but, as the short documentary The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone exhibits, there have been many external barriers along the way. When Georgie was a kid, the legal system in Australia — where she was born and raised — mandated that family court be involved any time a minor seeks hormone treatments, meaning the final decision lay with a court judge instead of the family. We see Georgie fight to change this law for other trans kids like her. Directed by Australian documentarian Maya Newell (Gayby Baby, In My Blood It Runs), the film uses footage from over 10 years of Stone’s story; we see, in intimate detail, what it’s like to live a trans life at this moment in time, including the preparation involved for gender-affirming surgery. 

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone

0h 29m   PG   2022

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The Half Of It

A queer high school take on the Cyrano de Bergerac tale, The Half of It — written and directed by Alice Wu — is the story of Ellie, a shy teen who ghostwrites love letters for Paul, a neighbor boy who is hoping to win the heart of fellow student Aster. As Ellie writes –– as Paul –– her poetic odes to romance, she discovers she has some heartfelt feelings of her own that she needs to wrestle with. It’s a playful twist on a classic that captures both the angst and hopefulness of life in high school.   

The Half Of It

1h 45m   PG-13   2020

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NYAD

Nyad pays homage to an incredible LGBTQIA+ athlete, Diana Nyad, an openly lesbian long- distance swimmer who, at the age of 60, resolved to achieve her lifelong dream: completing a 110-mile open-ocean swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Starring Annette Bening as Diana and Jodie Foster as her trainer and best friend Bonnie Stoll, the film is an ode to queer friendship — and strength. 

NYAD

2h 1m   PG-13   2023

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The Boys in the Band

It wasn’t so long ago that it was nearly impossible to find LGBTQ+ stories on TV, in movies, or even on Broadway stages. The original queer theater sensation The Boys in the Band was enacted off-Broadway a full year before the tide-turning Stonewall Riots of 1969. Written by Mart Crowley, the play was groundbreaking for how it revolved around the lives of gay men living in Manhattan. Ryan Murphy — who has always centered LGBTQIA+ life in his wildly wide array of projects — co-produced this cinematic revival with Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, and Zachary Quinto as the leads of the ensemble cast. As a bonus, there is an additional documentary about the lasting legacy of Crowley’s original play.

The Boys in the Band

2h 2m   R   2020

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I’m Your Venus

Paris Is Burning — the 1990 documentary that explored the queer ballroom scene of New York in the ’80s — is one of the most beloved and important films in all of LGBTQIA+ history, highlighting the Black, Latino, and trans people who created the art of voguing and forged a subculture that continues to inspire to this day. As we experience in the movie, one of its stars, Venus Xtravaganza, was killed in the middle of filming; now, a 2024 doc called I’m Your Venus (directed by Kimberly Reed) explores the circumstances behind this still-unsolved murder. It’s a window back into a vital world, with an emphasis on finding justice for a community that’s long faced maltreatment by the system.

I’m Your Venus

1h 25m   TV-MA   2025

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