Happy 1st of February everyone, and more importantly happy LGBTQ+ History Month!! As always my favourite way to celebrate and engage with specific fields of history (especially for the first time) is to watch something related to it. Film and television is by far my favourite medium of Public History, and I think it’s ability to make audiences feel understood, seen and represented is incredibly important. Please see below my comphrensive watchlist for LGBTQ+ History Month.
Please dive in! Watching something, whether that is documentary or fiction, is a way to engage with LGBTQ+ History and learn more about it. LGBQT+ History has always been here, it always will be here, and this month and every month is a time to CELEBRATE that!
FILM
- Vita and Virginia
- 120 Beats Per Minute
- Pride
- The Favourite
TV
- Dickinson
- Pose
- It’s a Sin
- Gentleman Jack
DOCUMENTARIES
- Disclosure
- A Secret Love
- Circus of Books
- Pray Away
I would like to give a special shout out here to the Disclosure documentary on Netflix, which truly truly is the best doc I have ever seen. I have watched it over and over and I never get bored, it is eye opening and honestly essential viewing. If you are going to watch one thing this LGBTQ+ History month let it be that!
This watchlist isn’t that long, queer history is still largely misunderstood and under-represented in the field of Public History. TV and Film is an easy way to get people engaging and empathising with queer history, the more we watch the greater demand there will be, and the more stories will get told. I for one, love watching stories about queer history, it makes me feel seen and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about things that were largely left out of my education when I was young. I hope anyone wishing to learn more enjoys this list, and gets something from it, just as I have!
molly-anne bc 