Over the years, Pride Month has become a beautiful and all-encompassing celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and everything it has done to make the world a better place for everyone, no matter their sexual identity, race, ethnicity, or religious preference. A great number of people honor the momentous occasion by participating in rallies, parades, and other events, but there are other ways to celebrate Pride Month, like checking out great LGBTQIA+ movies and shows on some of the best streaming services.
So, in honor of Pride Month, we have put together a breakdown of what the major streaming platforms are doing to honor the occasion, including movies, TV shows, documentaries, and other specials that touch on a variety of topics and highlight different voices. Here are just a few of the options you can watch as we celebrate Pride Month.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon’s Pride section is full of great titles that honor different aspects of the LGBTQIA+ community. With an Amazon Prime subscription, you can access all the titles listed below as well as countless other movies, TV shows, and documentaries that range from comedy to drama and everything in between.
Bottoms (2023)
In 2023, Emma Seligman turned the teen sex comedy genre on its head with Bottoms, a biting satire following two teenage girls (played by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) who set up a fight club at their high school with the sole purpose of hooking up with cheerleaders.
One of the best Gen-Z coming-of-age comedies, this hilarious yet thoughtful comedy finds the perfect balance between crude humor and social commentary, creating an unforgettable and enjoyable experience in the process.
Stream Bottoms on Prime Video.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
One of the biggest Amazon original movies of the past couple of years, Red, White & Royal Blue follows the first son of the United States (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the spare to the British throne (played by Nicholas Galitzine) as they go from enemies to lovers after a public relations disaster. However, they are forced to keep their relationship a secret to not disrupt things for their respective families.
This beautifully crafted book-to-screen adaptation took the world by storm following its release, and for good reason. With great messages about following your heart and being true to yourself, there’s a lot to take away from it.
Stream Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime Video.
This Is Me (2015)
Released in 2015 in response to the successful Amazon original series, Transparent, This Is Me features a collection of short documentaries from five trans and gender-nonconforming filmmakers who touch on different aspects of their lives and personal journeys. Each documentary ranges anywhere from five to six minutes, with each having its own structure, tone, and message.
Stream This Is Me on Prime Video.
Disney+
The Disney+ Pride collection consists of three different sections — movies and shorts, series, and “Pride episodes” — that tackle a myriad of topics centered on the LGBTQIA+ community with everything from some of the best Marvel movies like Eternals, shows like Glee, and the titles we’re highlighting below.
Growing Up (2022)
There are a ton of great documentaries and docuseries on Disney+, and Growing Up is one of them. Released back in 2022, this series created by Brie Larson and Culture House spent 10 episodes focusing on coming-of-age stories that are different in the sense that they follow different teenagers and 20-somethings, but similar in that they all dive into the experience of life.
Eye-opening as it is enchanting, this experimental and engaging docuseries is a great way to celebrate all aspects of the human experience.
Out (2020)
One of the best entries in Disney+’s Sparkshorts animated anthology series, Out follows Greg, a young man who has yet to come out to his parents. Though his attempts to keep his secret from his parents have been successful for the most part, a random visit from his mom and dad quickly changes things.
What follows is a short, sweet, and transformative (quite literally) adventure that ends with a great lesson that can be enjoyed by all.
Howard (2020)
One of few titles saved from Disney+’s May 2023 purge, the 2020 documentary, Howard, tells the story of Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. This film is a touching love letter to the late songwriter and the animated films he helped make into classics.
Pride From Above (2023)
The 2023 National Geographic documentary, Pride From Above, takes you on a globe-trotting adventure to some of the biggest Pride events on the planet. The history of the phenomenon, as well as in-depth looks at those epic parades and displays of creativity, are on full display in this documentary.
Stream Pride From Above on Disney+.
The Little Prince(ss) (2021)
Released as part of the Disney+ Launchpad program in 2021, The Little Prince(ss) is a short film about a young Chinese boy who makes a new friend at school. But when the new friend’s father doesn’t understand and refuses to accept the boy’s feminine behavior, the two classmates, and their friendship, are put to the ultimate test.
Stream The Little Prince(ss) on Disney+.
Max
Similar to the “Shine On” offerings in the past, anyone with a Max subscription can browse the streaming platform's massive Pride Month collection to access dozens of movies, shows, and specials from the service’s robust library. Below is just a sample of what you’ll find.
Moonlight (2016)
Barry Jenkins’ 2016 Best Picture winner is a film that everyone should watch at least once in their lives, if not more. Centering on the life and struggles of Chiron (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex R. Hibbert) as he tries to find out who he is and his place in the world, this beautifully written and shot coming-of-age drama is a treasure.
The Last Of Us (2023 - Present)
HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us is arguably the best video game show (or movie) of all time. Not only does it faithfully recreate one of the most beloved and successful horror games of the 21st century, but it also gave audiences “Long, Long Time,” a touching one-off episode about the unlikely connection and beautiful relationship shared by two survivors.
A landmark event in terms of storytelling and production, The Last of Us not only meets the hype, it exceeds it in every possible way.
Dicks: The Musical (2023)
Based on the off-Broadway sensation, Fucking Identical Twins, Larry Charles’ 2023 musical, Dicks: The Musical, centers on a pair of twins as they go to great lengths to get their parents back together. But, that’s where things get weird. Very, very weird.
What follows is one of the funniest, strangest, and most messed up musicals you’ll see on the big screen, or any screen, really. It’s wild, it’s heartfelt, and you’ll never look at a sewer the same way again.
Stream Dicks: The Musical on Max.
Transhood (2020)
Released in 2020, Transhood is a feature-length documentary that spends a considerable amount of time with four transgender children – ages four, seven, 12, and 15 – as they, and their friends and families, attempt to navigate life and “redefine coming-of-age” in Kansas City.
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (2022)
One of the best options for fans of Jerrod Carmichael, the comedian’s 2022 HBO comedy special, Rothaniel, is as poignant and raw as it is hilarious. Over the course of the 50-minute routine, the remarkable artist leaves nothing on the table and lets out his biggest, and most personal revelation to date.
Stream Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel on Max.
Hulu
Once again, Hulu is home to a plethora of LGBTQIA+ content. In the past, we pointed out titles like Pride, Changing the Game, and Love, Victor, and this year we have even more movies and shows to check out as you celebrate Pride Month. Let’s take a look at just three of the titles worth watching with your Hulu subscription.
Fire Island (2022)
If you’re looking for a sexually explicit Hulu movie that pushes all kinds of boundaries, Fire Island is going to do the trick. Andrew Ahn’s 2022 romantic comedy is loud, proud, and vulgar as all hell with a story that’s pretty much a balls-to-the-wall take on Pride and Prejudice.
When a group of friends go to Fire Island, where anything and everything can happen, they find themselves on an eye-opening and unforgettable experience for the ages.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 biographical drama tells the story of Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), an American trans man at the center of one of the darkest and most tragic moments in the LGBTQIA+ movement. The movie is undeniably unsettling, but it’s also a story that we need to hear to better understand the world around us.
Stream Boys Don’t Cry on Hulu.
All Of Us Strangers (2023)
All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh’s adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s Strangers, follows a lonely screenwriter (played by Andrew Scott) as he strikes up an intimate relationship with his neighbor (played by Paul Mescal) while also attempting to come to terms with his parents’ passing decades earlier.
What follows is a mesmerizing and transfixing experience as a man begins to have detailed and lifelike visions on his journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
Stream All of Us Strangers on Hulu.
Pose (2018 - 2021)
Set in 1980s New York City, the FX musical drama series, Pose, dives head-first into the Big Apple and its booming ball culture, as well as all the interconnected lives of its most prominent figures.
Netflix
Netflix is constantly coming out with new and special features for subscribers, and in June 2024, the popular streaming service is offering up a Pride Month collection that highlights some of the best movies, shows, and specials on the platform. Here are some of the titles available for anyone with a Netflix subscription.
Rustin (2023)
A must-watch Black movie for Pride Month, Rustin tells the story of Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo) as he attempts to find himself and his place in the world leading up to the iconic March on Washington. This touching portrait of the oft-overshadowed civil rights activist is stunning in its scope and scale, though it never loses its intimacy or careful touch.
Nyad (2023)
The 2023 Netflix original biopic, Nyad, follows swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) as she attempts to swim the Straits of Florida, a passage between Florida and Cuba. Though the monumental feat is a major part of this story, it’s not the only part, as the film dives deep into the testy relationship shared by Nyad and her former partner, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster).
What follows is a triumph of both human endurance and human spirit, as the aging swimmer pushes through the surf to make history and make something of herself.
Nimona (2023)
One of the best 2023 animated movies, Nimona was saved by Netflix, and the world is a better place because of it. This Oscar-nominated film, which is set in what can best be described as a futuristic medieval world, follows a disgraced knight (Riz Ahmed) and a mysterious shapeshifter (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) who can help him clear his name.
Filled with tremendous animation and some great LGBTQIA+ themes, this is a movie that resonates.
Sex Education (2019 - 2023)
The Netflix original series, Sex Education, centers on Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), the awkward teenage son of a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson) who takes his mother’s work and findings to open a sex therapy clinic at his high school and helps his friends and classmates overcome a myriad of issues.
Stream Sex Education on Netflix.
Pray Away (2021)
The 2021 documentary, Pray Away, follows former leaders and survivors of a conversion therapy program as they come to terms with their respective roles in the movement and speak out against the very tactics they once used long ago.
Paramount+
Anyone with a Paramount+ subscription will notice a new collection of movies, TV shows, and documentaries on the homepage throughout Pride Month 2024. The Paramount+ Pride Month collection has a little bit of everything, like the titles found below…
Carol (2015)
Todd Haynes’s 2015 historical romantic drama, Carol, centers on the forbidden relationship shared by a glamorous and wealthy woman (played by Cate Blanchett) and a young, aspiring photographer (Rooney Mara) in 1950s New York City. Going against the status quo and sticking their noses up at social norms, the pair risk it all for a shot at love.
Rocketman (2019)
One of the best music biopics in quite some time, Rocketman tells the story of Elton John (Taron Egerton) as he transforms himself into a musical pioneer and pop culture sensation. Detailing the good, the bad, and everything in between of the Grammy-winning singer’s life and career, Dexter Fletcher’s inventive musical paints a brilliant picture of the man, the myth, the legend.
Stream Rocketman on Paramount+.
Mean Girls (2024)
Much like the original 2004 film and the Broadway musical on which this movie is based, Mean Girls is a celebration of being yourself and breaking free from the social norms and constraints of high school. Empowering, hilarious, heartfelt, and filled with some catchy tunes, this is a reimagining that truly breaks the mold.
Stream Mean Girls on Paramount+.
Three Months (2022)
The 2022 comedy, Three Months, follows high school senior Caleb (Troye Sivan) as he finds out he has been exposed to HIV just before his graduation. During the three-month period between exposure and finding out his definitive results, the South Florida teenager attends a support group and strikes up an unlikely romance.
Stream Three Months on Paramount+.
RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009 - Present)
RuPaul has long been one of the most recognizable and iconic drag queens around thanks to his electric personality and multiple TV shows. One of the best is RuPaul’s Drag Race, the long-running competition series that sees contestants transform themselves into incredibly fabulous personas that rival the famous drag queen.
Stream RuPaul’s Drag Race on Paramount+.
Peacock
And then there is Peacock, which offers those with a Peacock subscription access to tons of great movies, shows, and documentaries. The library of titles is vast and encompasses all kinds of genres. Here’s just a small sampling…
Queer As Folk (2022)
In 2022, Peacock brought back Queer as Folk with a new reimagining of the classic British TV series of the same name. Set in New Orleans instead of Manchester, England, this drama series spent eight episodes with a diverse group of friends impacted by a devastating shooting at their beloved nightclub. They attempt to pick up the broken pieces of their lives while making sense of the world around them.
Stream Queer as Folk on Peacock.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
In 2005, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal played friends-turned-lovers in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. One of the biggest movies of the early 2000s and a conversation starter for years to come, this decades-spanning romantic drama paints a beautiful picture of two rugged cowboys who just can’t quit each other, no matter how hard they try.
Stream Brokeback Mountain on Peacock.
TransAmerica (2021)
The 2021 special, TransAmerica follows journalist Joe Fryer as he dives into and breaks down various state laws that discriminate against transgender citizens as well as lawmakers, allies, and others who are making great strides in making the country a better place to live in for everyone, no matter their sexuality or identity.
Stream TransAmerica on Peacock.
Light In The Water (2018)
Light in the Water tells the story of the West Hollywood Aquatics Club, the first openly gay swim team and polo team, from its humble beginnings in 1982 all the way into modern times with a focus on its members and how they made an impact on the sports community and society as a whole.
Stream Light in the Water on Peacock.
This is just a very small portion of all the great LGBTQIA+ stories that are worth checking out even after Pride Month 2024 has come and gone.
