Looking for real-life and never-before-heard stories of LGBTQ+ pioneers and icons? Check out the following 20 documentaries and docuseries that cover love, travel, history, and more!
Flee
The doc tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
Little Girl
The touching portrait of eight-year-old Sasha, who questions her gender and in doing so, evokes the sometimes disturbing reactions of a society that is still invested in a biological boy-girl way of thinking.
Gaycation
A travel docuseries following Elliot Page and Ian Daniel as they explore different LGBTQ cultures around the world.
A Secret Love
After falling in love in 1947, a former baseball player keeps her lesbian relationship a secret from her family for seven decades.
Paris Is Burning
A chronicle of the “Golden Age” of New York City ball culture, focusing on balls, voguing, and the communities involved.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Activist Victoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of her friend and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson.
Circus of Books
In 1976, a couple take over an adult book store and it becomes the biggest distributor of gay porn in the United States.
Visible: Out on Television
Apple TV’s miniseries tells the history of the LGBTQ movement through the lens of American television.
Equal
This four-part series shares the true backstories of leaders and unsung heroes who changed the course of American history through their tireless activism.
Transhood
This documentary follows four kids and their families over the course of five years, revealing intimate realities of how gender is re-shaping the “family next door.”
Pride
The new six-part docuseries from FX revolves around LGBT rights in the United States decade-by-decade.
Do I Sound Gay?
David Thorpe explores the stereotype about the speech patterns of gay men.
Transformer
A champion powerlifter faces personal and professional challenges during her transition into living as a woman.
Kiki
Considered an unofficial sequel to Paris is Burning, the documentary focuses on a group of LGBTQ youths of color who form a safe gathering space via the drag and voguing scene.
I am Divine
The story of how Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) became John Waters' muse and an international drag icon.
Before Stonewall
The history of the gay and lesbian communities prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots.
We Were Here
A deep look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco, and how the city's inhabitants dealt with the crisis.
Political Animals (2016)
Four California lawmakers take the fight for equality from the streets into the halls of government to create lasting social justice and equality.
The Times of Harvey Milk
A documentary of Harvey Milk’s rise from activist to respected symbol in the gay political movment, through his assassination in 1978.
P.S. Burn This Letter Please
A box of letters, held in secret to nearly 60 years, ignites a five-year exploration in LGBTQ history that has never been told.
The Queen (1968)
A look behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in 1960s New York City.
No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon
Filmmaker Joan E. Biren chronicles gay rights pioneers and life partners Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.