It is easy for many of us to find a soul mate, look the way we wish, express ourselves freely, talk about our hobbies, whether it be playing online Blackjack for money or a drag show, and socialize with others. However, members of the LGBT community are still fighting an unequal battle against prejudice for the right to be themselves.
We’ve put together a few films with courageous characters who fight the world every day for the right to live.
Boy Erased, 2018
“Exemplary” pastor’s son, an honor student, and athlete Jared suddenly realizes he’s attracted to guys. Upon learning of their son’s “sinful” desires, his loving parents immediately send him to conversion therapy at a facility where teenagers are instilled with the “right” orientation. To avoid upsetting his family, Jared agrees to the treatment, not realizing the horror he has to go through.
Girl, 2018
15-year-old Lara has moved with her family to Belgium to fulfill her dream of entering a prestigious dance academy and becoming a famous ballerina. Rehearsals are given to the young dancer with difficulty, but this is not the hardest thing in the life of a teenage girl. In fact, in the next two years, Lara will have to undergo hormone therapy and go under the knife to have the right to call herself a “girl.”
Moonlight, 2016
The film tells the story of three stages in the life of a black man from the ghetto, Chiron. To survive, the boy has to show his power since childhood: to be a small cog in huge drug business, to spit on the accepted foundations, to flaunt his masculinity. And most importantly, you cannot admit that you are gay. Otherwise, you will die a most shameful death.
Laurence Anyways, 2012
The plot of the movie is about a 35-year-old college teacher named Laurence. A teacher who is beloved by his students, a talented writer, and a winner of prestigious awards, he just dreams of becoming a woman. He is not intimidated by external changes, nor by the opinions of his family and colleagues, nor by the cost of the surgery. His only concern is how his beloved wife, Frederick, would react to such news. This film is a tribute to a perfect love story. A love ambitious, impossible, limitless.
Milk, 2008
The true story of the life and legacy of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist. For a long time, members of the LGBT community were considered bad, sick, perverted people. Their rights were violated, and almost no one stood up for them. But once there was Milk, the first openly gay politician to lobby for gay rights.
Brokeback Mountain, 2005
Cowboys Ennis and Jack first meet while applying for a job. Over time, their acquaintance develops into a friendship and later into a romantic relationship, unacceptable between two men. As the season ends, so does the romance, but even their relationships with women, traditional marriage, and the birth of children keep them from forgetting about each other.
Boys Don’t Cry, 1999
Newcomer Brandon Tina shows up in a quiet little town in Nebraska and immediately drives all the local girls crazy. He is a loudmouth, a drunkard, a heavy drinker, and a “party pooper” who is also a gallant gentleman, a sensitive and sympathetic guy, and the embodiment of girls’ dreams. One transgression, a half hint, a wrong word, and the skeleton falls out of the closet – Brandon immediately becomes a punching bag. The local boys didn’t like the dandy as it was, and they don’t intend to share the local hotties with the man-looking girl.
Philadelphia, 1993
Successful lawyer Andrew Beckett is fired because he has AIDS. Management is convinced that the disease, like Andrew’s immoral behavior, is contagious to those around him. Beckett sues his former employers, but no one is willing to defend the sick gay man. At the last minute, a lawyer shows up who is ready to fight for his most unwanted client.