These 16 southern queer movies illustrate LGBTQ life in the South
Movies are a great way to showcase what it might really be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. And when it comes to LGBTQ southerners, facing constant anti-LGBT legislation and discrimination, movies can even save lives.
No need to wait till the Oscars this Sunday—let’s celebrate great queer cinema now. Here are 16 southern queer movies that feature LGBTQ characters and/or themes.
Check out our sweet 16 movie list, in alphabetical order:
Bessie (2015)
The 2015 HBO film Bessie centers on the life and career of American blues singer Bessie Smith played by Queen Latifah.
Boy Erased (2018)
In Boy Erased, adapted from a memoir of the same name, the son of a Baptist pastor is forced to come out to his parents then voluntarily joins a church-sponsored gay conversion program.
Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
Two lesbians take an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee, Florida, for a fresh start. But when they encounter crooks on their journey, things quickly go awry. Check out our review!
Egghead & Twinkie (2023)
In this coming-of-age comedy directed by Sarah Kambe Holland, Asian-American girl Twinkie convinces her bestie Egghead to join her on a cross-country road trip to meet her internet crush at “Lez Dance” in Texas following a less-than-ideal coming-out experience with her conservative parents.
Inspection (2022)
In Inspection, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with limited options, joins the Marines and enters a bootcamp in South Carolina, attempting to thrive in a society that rejects him.
Last Summer (2013)
High school sweethearts Luke and Jonah spend their last days together in the rural south before Jonah has to leave in this romantic drama.
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
This documentary chronicles the life and career of the iconic Little Richard, legendary rock ‘n’ roll artist who changed the face of music forever.
Love Simon (2018)
Love Simon, set in the Atlanta Georgia suburbs, follows closeted Simon Spier as he navigates hiding his queerness from his family and community.
Making Sweet Tea (2021)
The documentary Making Sweet Tea follows southern-born black gay researcher and performer E. Patrick Johnson as he returns to North Carolina to face his past. He then visits Georgia, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. to reconnect with several black gay men he interviewed for his book, Sweet Tea.
Memphis Proud: The Resilience of a Southern LGBTQ+ Community (2022)
The documentary Memphis Proud, first shown as part of a 2022 LGBTQ the Memphis Museum of Science & History exhibit, explores how LGBTQ+ Memphians of diverse backgrounds and experiences have formed vibrant communities through history. Watch it for free.
Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight focuses on three pivotal moments in Chiron’s life. The young black man growing up in Miami faces trials on his path to manhood and navigating his queerness, guided by his community’s love and support.
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
Starring Marlon Brandon and Elizebeth Taylor, this classic drama set in a southern army post chronicles the depressed life of a latent gay captain and his nymphomaniacal wife.
Southern Baptist Sissies (2013)
Southern Baptist Sissies, featuring the late, beloved Leslie Jordan, follows four gay Southern Baptist Church men as they navigate the conflict between their sexuality and the church’s ideology.
Southern Pride (2018)
This documentary is about Mississippians from two small communities planning festivities to celebrate their Black and gay pride in Trump country.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
This tragic film with gay themes is based on a Tennessee Williams story and stars young Elizabeth Taylor, a young woman whose aunt wants her to get a lobotomy in order to conceal a family secret.
The Color Purple (1985, 2023)
The iconic book-turned movie-turned play-turned-remake follows Celie, a Black woman living in the early 1900s American south, as she endures horrendous cruelty and prejudice over the course of forty years. Its more recent iteration leans even more into the originally very queer text by Alice Walker.
