E012 LGBTQ+ History in Cinema
Episode Description
In this episode, we journey through the history of queer cinema, from its earliest appearances on screen to the cultural milestones that continue to shape how LGBTQ+ stories are told today. We look at how queerness was coded, censored, celebrated, and resisted across different eras of filmmaking — and how representation on screen has mirrored larger struggles for visibility, acceptance, and authenticity in society.
Through examining shifting portrayals of identity, love, and community, we ask: why does representation matter, and how has cinema helped define what it means to be queer across generations? This conversation unpacks the artistry, resilience, and impact of stories that continue to inspire and challenge the way we see ourselves and the world.
This episode is jam packed with information on queer cinema, current updates on the Jeffrey Epstein case, and even more film talk.
Warning: This episode contains mention and allegations of sexual assault. If you, or anyone you know has been affected by SA, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or text HOPE to 64673.
LGBTQ+ History in Cinema Research
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film
Library of Congress. “Early Edison Experiments with Sight and Sound.” Edison Company Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/early-edison-experiments-with-sight-and-sound/.
Different from the Others
Silent Film. “Different from the Others.” San Francisco Silent Film Festival, https://silentfilm.org/different-from-the-others/.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Magnus Hirschfeld.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/article/magnus-hirschfeld-2.
Mädchen in Uniform
Manslaughter
Queer Cinema Archive. “Manslaughter.” Queer Cinema Archive, https://queercinemaarchive.com/…/manslaughter.
“The Celluloid Closet.” Golden Globes, https://goldenglobes.com/articles/docs-celluloid-closet.
Wings (1927)
Far Out Magazine. “The First-Ever Gay Kiss in 1927 Film Wings.” Far Out, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/first-ever-gay-kiss-1927-film-wings/.
Pandora’s Box
Cwynar, Grace. “Pandora’s Box Unleashes a Universe of Male Oppression.” Hyperallergic, https://hyperallergic.com/872336/pandoras-box-unleashes-a-universe-of-male-oppression-film-forum/.
Queen Christina
(no direct source provided — suggest adding BFI or Criterion coverage).
Morocco (1930)
Smith, Imogen Sara. “Marlene Dietrich in Morocco.” The Old Hollywood Garden, 19 June 2018, https://theoldhollywoodgarden.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/marlene-dietrich-in-morocco-1930/.
Guthmann, David. “Dietrich, Gender Performance, and Queer Desire in Morocco.” Cinema Journal, Johns Hopkins UP, https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/181/article/740153/pdf.
Sign of the Cross (1932)
“Friend of Dorothy”
Pride.com. “What Does It Mean to Be a Friend of Dorothy?” Pride, https://www.pride.com/identities/friend-of-dorothy.
Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
Vice. “Looking Back at Dracula’s Daughter.” Vice, https://www.vice.com/en/article/looking-back-at-draculas-daughter-the-erotic-1936-film-thats-really-about-lesbians/.
Universal Pictures. Dracula’s Daughter (film). Available on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_dP0wr2TZ4.
Caged (1950)
Queer Cinema Archive. “Caged.” Queer Cinema Archive, https://www.queercinemaarchive.com/the-archive/caged.
Autostraddle. “Caged (1950): A Queer Lesbian Review.” Autostraddle, https://www.autostraddle.com/caged-1950-queer-lesbian-review/.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Criterion. “Rebel Without a Cause.” The Criterion Collection, https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/424-rebel-without-a-cause.
The Children’s Hour (1961)
Wilkins, Emma Stefansky. “The Children’s Hour and Hollywood’s Fear of Queer Love.” Paste Magazine, https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/audrey-hepburn/the-children-s-hour-homophobia-audrey-hepburn-shirley-maclaine.
The Fox (1967)
LaBruce, Bruce. “Academy of the Underrated: The Fox.” Talkhouse, https://www.talkhouse.com/bruce-labruces-academy-of-the-underrated-the-fox/.
Ebert, Roger. “The Fox.” RogerEbert.com, 1968, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fox-1968.
The Killing of Sister George (1968)
Cook, Matt. “Queer Film Histories.” SpringerLink, 2017, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-64979-5_9.
The Advocate. “Forgotten Lesbian Film Classic Deserves a Second Look.” Advocate.com, https://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2015/08/25/forgotten-lesbian-film-classic-deserves-second-look.
Stonewall (1969)
Library of Congress. “Today in History: June 28.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-28.
The Boys in the Band (1970)
Kaiser, Charles. The Boys in the Band. Bridgewater State University, https://vc.bridgew.edu/fac_books/160/.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Greenwich Academic. “Dog Day Afternoon.” University of Greenwich, https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/14343/.
University of Wisconsin Libraries. “Dog Day Afternoon.” Search, https://search.library.wisc.edu/article/cdi_proquest_journals_2086279199.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Bruzzi, Stella. “Camp, Cult, and Queer.” Journal of British Cinema and Television, Edinburgh UP, https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/jbctv.2017.0395.
Rushton, Richard. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Wayne State University Digital Commons, https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/rushton/vol1/iss1/1/.
Word Is Out (1977)
Oppenheimer, Jerry. “Word Is Out: A Pioneering Documentary of Gay Voices.” The New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/word-is-out-a-pioneering-documentary-of-gay-voices.
Making Love (1982)
Dirks, Tim. “Making Love (1982).” Filmsite.org, https://www.filmsite.org/makinglove.html.
Queering the Closet. “Queer Review: Making Love.” Queering the Closet, https://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2012/08/queer-review-making-love-1982.html.
AIDS Epidemic
amfAR. “Snapshots of an Epidemic: HIV/AIDS.” amfAR, https://www.amfar.org/about-hiv-aids/snapshots-of-an-epidemic-hiv-aids/.
History.com. “History of AIDS.” History Channel, https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-aids.
Desert Hearts (1985)
Criterion. “Desert Hearts: The Thrill of It All.” Criterion, https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5118-desert-hearts-the-thrill-of-it-all.
A Rabbit’s Foot. “Desert Hearts: No Man’s Land.” A Rabbit’s Foot, https://a-rabbitsfoot.com/editorial/film/desert-hearts-no-mans-land/.
Maurice (1987)
BFI. “Merchant Ivory’s Maurice.” British Film Institute, https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/merchant-ivory-maurice-hugh-grant.
Philadelphia (1993)
BFI. “Philadelphia: Unpacking Hollywood’s AIDS Drama.” Sight and Sound, https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/philadelphia-un-packaging-hollywood-aids-drama.
Longtime Companion (1990)
Gay & Lesbian Review. “The Making of Longtime Companion.” GLReview.org, https://glreview.org/article/the-making-of-longtime-companion/.
Paris Is Burning (1990)
Vogue. “An Oral History of Ballroom Culture.” Vogue, https://www.vogue.com/article/oral-history-ballroom-pride-2023.
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
777 Film Club. “New Queer Cinema and Stereotypes in My Own Private Idaho.” 777 Film Club, https://www.777filmclub.com/journal/my-own-private-idaho-new-queer-cinema-and-lgbtq-stereotypes.
All About My Mother (1999)
USC Scalar. “Transgender Representation in Todo Sobre Mi Madre.” Critically Queer Collection, https://scalar.usc.edu/works/critically-queer-a-collection-of-queer-media-critiques-and-character-analyses-/breaking-social-boundaries-transgender-representation-in-todo-sobre-mi-madre.10.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
The Indiependent. “Boys Don’t Cry (1999): A Landmark of Queer Cinema.” The Indiependent, https://www.indiependent.co.uk/boys-dont-cry-1999-a-landmark-of-queer-cinema-with-an-uneasy-legacy.
Angels in America (2003, HBO miniseries)
Time. “Angels in America: Original Reviews.” Time, https://time.com/5165784/angels-in-america-original-reviews/.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Georgetown Voice. “A Case for the Classics: But I’m a Cheerleader.” Georgetown Voice, https://georgetownvoice.com/2023/04/29/a-case-for-the-classics-but-im-a-cheerleader.
Little White Lies. “In Praise of But I’m a Cheerleader.” LWLies, https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/but-im-a-cheerleader-conversion-therapy-jamie-babbit.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Wrap. “Brokeback Mountain and the Queer Impact on Cinema.” The Wrap, https://www.thewrap.com/brokeback-mountain-impact-on-cinema-lgbtq-queer-movies/.
“Reception Study of Brokeback Mountain.” University of Miami Scholarship, https://scholarship.miami.edu/view/pdfCoverPage?download=true&filePid=13355483670002976&instCode=01UOML_INST
News Feature Sources:
Ahmadi, A. A. (2025, September 3). Epstein accusers say they are compiling list of his associates. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yvpgyjed8o
Breslow, J. (2025, September 8). Estate of Jeffrey Epstein gives Congress “birthday book” allegedly signed by Trump. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/08/nx-s1-5534397/trump-epstein-birthday-book
English, M. (2025, September 23). Adelita Grijalva wins US House special election in Arizona, delivering decisive signature for Epstein files push. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/23/politics/arizona-special-election-epstein-files
Geoghegan, T., & FitzGerald, J. (2025, August 19). What do we know about the Jeffrey Epstein files? BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20r07dg6kro
Hagen, L. (2025, May 30). How conspiracy theorists explain Trump officials’ pivots on Jeffrey Epstein. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5407856/conspiracy-theorists-dan-bongino-epstein-fbi
Isenstadt, A. (2025, July 7). Exclusive: DOJ, FBI conclude Epstein had no “client list,” died by suicide. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-client-list-trump-administration
Lau, S., & Smith, S. (2025, September 9). What’s in the book of birthday messages to Epstein. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5q68j2169o
Lucas, R. (2025, July 18). The FBI says there is no Epstein list — angering much of President Trump’s base. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5470152/the-fbi-says-there-is-no-epstein-list-angering-much-of-president-trumps-base
Lukiv, J., Davies, O., & Izundu, C. C. (2025, September 26). Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in new Epstein files. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyl8j1we0lo
Stewart, K., Tsirkin, J., Gregorian, D., & Winter, T. (2025, September 8). House committee releases “birthday book” with lewd message Trump allegedly sent to Epstein. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-book-rcna229803
The Associated Press. (2025, July 23). A timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, now 20 years old. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-investigation-records-timeline-545c371ee3dd3142355a26d27829c188
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. (2022, June 28). Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years In Prison for Conspiring With Jeffrey Epstein to Sexually Abuse Minors. Www.justice.gov. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse