After completing a character analysis on a movie that had an LGBTQ theme…I started to wonder how many mainstream  movies have been released within this topic. I figured there would be quite a few considering my instructor for my class had listed around 15 movies that we could choose from for our paper.

After looking at a list of movies that Advocate.com had provided, I noticed that I have seen several of these movies and/or some that I never even thought about looking at. The Advocate listed close to 175 movies, which I will not list all of them here, but I will list the ones that would be beneficial for anyone to watch.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal find themselves in a private love affair after spending a summer up on Brokeback Mountain. Heath & Jake’s characters keep their relationship private from their wives and children. Heath’s character fights the emotions he is feeling but refuses to leave his wife to be with Jake.

Mike (2008) – Milk depicts the live and legacy that Harvey Milk created in San Francisco in the year 1978. Milk becomes California’s first openly gay elected official.

Philadelphia (1993) – *One of my favorite Tom Hanks movies* – Hanks plays a lawyer who was wrongfully terminated by his employer when the law firm he was working for finds out that he is gay and has AIDS. It is one of the first movies in current time that addresses the AIDS Epidemic.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Now while this movie does not have an LGBT theme or topic…the gay community look to Judy Garland as a role model due to her character, Dorothy, seeking for a place that has no trouble. Gay men often refer to each other as “Friends of Dorothy”. Stating that a person was a friend of Dorothy was a code phrase to let other gay men in the area know what their sexuality was. Common terminolgy is “family”…such as my Family Bar as code for a Gay Bar.

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – This is a cult classic from the 70s. One may say that you have not lived until you have watched Rocky Horror Picture Show with someone or a group of people who know all of the side extra phrases and props for the movie. Rocky Horror Picture Show is a music that pushed the limits when it came to sexuality, transgender characters, and music that is placed on top of everything else.

RENT (2005) – **And seriously…if you have not seen this…I recommend finding the Broadway version, rather than the 2005 theatrical version** This is a musical brought to the silver screen that outright talked about the current battle on AIDS, love, and community. The movie depicts the lives of several friends who live within New York’s East Village.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013) – Hollywood finally came out with a movie loosely based on a true story about a man who helped others during the AIDS Epidemic due to contracting AIDS himself from being a promiscuous rodeo cowboy.

The Danish Girl (2015) – The Danish Girl is based on a true story that is set in 1924 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The story is about Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda. Einar begins to acknowledge his personal desires to be a woman. As the movie progresses viewers see less of Einar and more of Lili Elbe. The movie depicts the struggle Gerda has with slowly losing her husband, the more Lili is around instead. Lili Elbe was one of the first transgender individuals who underwent sex confirmation surgery. I highly recommend watching this movie, as you will see how society in 1924 dealt with issues such as cross-dressing or living as a transgendered person.

I could go on and on with other movies. If you have not seen some of the movies on this list…I strongly suggest trying to find a few of these to watch when you are snowed in during these upcoming winter months.