WriterJump's Different From The Others & 70 LGBTQ+ Films That Helped Change The World

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by Paul Donnett
Published June 9, 2021

Contrary to popular belief, LGBTQ+ film and filmmakers didn’t suddenly appear in the 1970s. They have been a key part of the cinematic landscape since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Take, for example, 1919’s Different From the Others, directed by German filmmaker Robert Oswald. Regarded as the first openly and unapologetically pro-gay film in history, the original title of Oswald’s film, “Paragraph 175”, reflected the prevailing German law that rendered homosexuality a criminal offense.

“You must not condemn your son because he is a homosexual,” the film’s doctor tells the parents of a gay man they are trying to cure. “He is not to blame for his orientation. It is not wrong, nor should it be a crime. Indeed, it is not even an illness, merely a variation, and one that is common to all of nature. You should live to change the prejudices by which this man has been made one of the countless victims. You must restore the honor of this man and bring justice to him, and all those who came before him, and all those to come after him. Justice through knowledge!”

Progressive language for 1919, to say the least.

In response to the film, religious groups pressured the Weimar government to strengthen censorship laws. When the Nazis rose to power, Hitler ordered all prints of the movie to be destroyed. Where copies persisted, only physicians were permitted to see it, largely for the purpose of refuting its message among the public.

Nonetheless, around the world, movies continued to be made advocating for the LGBT community. In the decades that followed, Different From The Others would be held up as a shining example of the power of film to educate, inspire, and change behaviour.

In the spirit of Oswald, here are my all-time favourite films by, about, or exploring the many complex realities experienced by the LGBT community:

After Different from the Others, films are listed in alphabetical order by English title (according to the site).

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  1. 1 new

    Anders als die Andern

    1919 — a.k.a. Different from the Others, in 2 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Boy Erased

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  3. 3 new

    Una mujer fantástica

    2017 — a.k.a. A Fantastic Woman, in 3 top lists
    Check
  4. 4 new

    A Single Man

    2009, in 2 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Todo sobre mi madre

    1999 — a.k.a. All About My Mother, in 18 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    Beautiful Thing

    1996, in 1 top list Check
  7. 7 new

    Before Night Falls

    2000, in 3 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    Beginners

    2010, in 2 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    Better Than Chocolate

    1999, in 0 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    La vie d'Adèle

    2013 — a.k.a. Blue Is the Warmest Colour, in 13 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Barash

    2015 — a.k.a. Blush, in 0 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Bohemian Rhapsody

    2018, in 6 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    Boys Don't Cry

    1999, in 7 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    The Boys in the Band

    1970, in 1 top list Check
  15. 15 new

    Brokeback Mountain

    2005, in 21 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    But I'm a Cheerleader

    1999, in 3 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Call Me by Your Name

    2017, in 11 top lists
    Check
  18. 18 new

    Carol

    2015, in 8 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Coming Out

    1989, in 0 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    Dallas Buyers Club

    2013, in 2 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    Dog Day Afternoon

    1975, in 23 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Edge of Seventeen

    1998, in 0 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    Fireworks

    1947, in 5 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Gods and Monsters

    1998, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    Heavenly Creatures

    1994, in 7 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Hedwig and the Angry Inch

    2001, in 9 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

    1987, in 1 top list Check
  28. 28 new

    If These Walls Could Talk 2

    2000, in 0 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    The Imitation Game

    2014, in 5 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    In & Out

    1997, in 1 top list Check
  31. 31 new

    In the Bedroom

    2001, in 2 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    La cage aux folles

    1978, in 4 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    Looking for Langston

    1989, in 4 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    Love, Simon

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  35. 35 new

    Making Love

    1982, in 0 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Maurice

    1987, in 0 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Milk

    2008, in 3 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Moonlight

    2016, in 13 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    My Beautiful Laundrette

    1985, in 7 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    My Own Private Idaho

    1991, in 10 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    My Summer of Love

    2004, in 3 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    Normal

    2003, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    Pariah

    2011, in 7 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    Paris Is Burning

    1990, in 12 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Parting Glances

    1986, in 1 top list Check
  46. 46 new

    Personal Best

    1982, in 0 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    Philadelphia

    1993, in 4 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    Portrait de la jeune fille en feu

    2019 — a.k.a. Portrait of a Lady on Fire, in 12 top lists
    Check
  49. 49 new

    Pride

    2014, in 3 top lists Check
  50. 50 new

    Rocketman

    2019, in 1 top list Check
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Last updated on Jun 13, 2021; source