Now, of course, gay issues and characters are in mainstream films and other media–gay art is less striking or controversial than it once was to more conservative audiences–and more widely viewed.
Movies–and the art world in general– have always been a great place to explore gay themes, especially before it was as commonly accepted to be gay. I lived in the Broadway location for a short time when I had to study movies. This was way back before streaming was an option so I was at the mercy of whatever HBO programming or the IFC channel decided to throw on–and, of course, Kim’s Video. I just absolutely reveled in stories about my people, LGBTQ people–even if they often died tragically as was the wont of pre-2010 gay movies.
I remember growing up watching movies like Paris is Burning, The Broken Hearts Club, Urbania, Lost and Delirious, If These Walls Could Talk 2, The Laramie Project (I know it’s a play), Angels in America (YES I KNOW it’s a play) and Beautiful Thing.