Drew Barrymore Unveils Her List of Favorite Books, Get to Know Her Top 10 Literary Picks

Hailing from the Barrymore family of actors, Drew Barrymore has established herself as an iconic actress, influencer, businesswoman, and host. Renowned for her captivating looks, brilliant on-screen performances, and exceptional acting skills, she has also earned accolades as a celebrated author, with her books gracing the New York Times bestseller list. It is quite evident that the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial alum is an avid reader with a passion for literature. Her finest creations are Wildflower, Little Girl Lost, Rebel Homemaker: Food, Family, Life, and Find It in Everything.

38 of the Best Queer Movies of the Past 100 Years

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Sure, you could spend the next four years dissociating as we prepare for a rapid erosion of hard-won LGBTQ+ rights. It’s not like media has been the best ally throughout the struggle for basic acceptance anyway, and given that one of the incoming administration’s first executive orders involves pretending that trans people aren’t real (an assertion that defies biology, human history, and the lived experiences of millions of people, the future isn’t boding well.
Yet while movies and the media can’t save us, they can represent us. Movies can move the needle on mainstream acceptance (even if only in small ways), and spunky independent films can make us feel seen, offer encouragement, or get us mad enough to fight back. So maybe squeeze in a movie when you’re not throwing bricks or glowering at the wall. Below, I’ve highlighted 30 standouts from the past century, not so much to prove that every one of them broke new ground upon release (though many did), but to illustrate that queer talent has been on display in front of and behind the camera since the medium’s earliest days.
(Rather than list every great movie with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, I’ve tried to throw in some lesser-appreciated movies that are every bit as good—or better—than more well-known favorites.)
Michael (1926)

Carl Theodor Dreyer, best known for his 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc, brought a similar visual inventiveness to his earlier Michael, the story of a love triangle between a sculptor, his model (the title’s Michael), and the sculptor’s long-suffering friend. It’s a doomed romance, but not because of any moralizing about the M4M love. It’s a story of not being able to see what’s right in front of you. And, yes, I realize that Michael just misses the centenary mark based on its German release in late 1924, but its American release wasn’t until two years later, so I’m allowing it. You can stream Michael on Kanopy.

Michael (1924)

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Wings (1927)

The very first Best Picture Oscar-winner is the WWI-set story of a pair of rivals who become good friends. Very good friends, if you catch my meaning, though it’s just ambiguous enough that it didn’t raise suspicions at the time. Throughout the film, the two pilots are competitors for the affections of an ambulance driver played by Clara Bow, typically decked out in her intentionally masc uniform, complete with cropped hair and lace-up leather boots. The famous tracking shot across a number of tables in a bar includes a lesbian couple just on the verge of a kiss as the camera sweeps by, but it’s the death scene (sorry about the 98-year-old spoiler) between our two pilots that really seals the deal: If their tender caresses and kiss can’t quite be described as overtly gay, the scene is certainly queer in its portrayal of male affection. You can stream Wings on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

Wings (1927)

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Mädchen in Uniform (1931)

The story of troubled schoolgirl Manuela (Hertha Thiele) who quickly gets hot for teacher at her all-girls school, Mädchen in Uniform arrived at a pivotal moment in German history: Paragraph 175, outlawing homosexuality, had been repealed a couple of years earlier, and what would later be seen as the “decadent” Weimar era was in full swing. With queer women behind the camera and plenty of lesbian longing, and snogging, onscreen, the movie was a hit in much of Europe, while lobbying by no less than Eleanor Roosevelt ensured that American audiences got to see the film (a detail I adore). It’s a beautifully realized film about romantic longing that never devolves into melodrama; it also invites us to imagine the kinds of female-centric movies we might have had if there had been more women behind the camera during the golden age of Hollywood. You can stream Mädchen in Uniform on Plex.

Mädchen in Uniform (1931)

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Queen Christina (1933)

However we choose to define Greta Garbo’s real-life gender and sexuality—some say bisexual is closest to the mark, others say lesbian; she referred to herself as male most of the time and signed letters as “Harry,” so there are layers—there’s no question her gender-fluid screen persona, in roles that were at least bisexual-coded, made her a huge box office draw in a very different era. Her, she plays the unconventional, bisexual Swedish Queen involved in not only affairs of state, but also romances with co-stars John Gilbert and Elizabeth Young. All that aside, it’s a beautiful historic romance about a powerful, complicated woman with a killer (and often referenced) final shot. You can rent Queen Christina from Prime Video.

Queen Christina (1933)

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Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

While I’m trying to avoid queer coding in favor of movies with aboveboard queer characters and content, doing that gets harder during Hollywood’s so-called golden age, when the rules explicitly forbade any such thing. With Bride of Frankenstein, though, there’s too much gay going on to ignore. The plot revolves around gloriously flamboyant Dr. Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), an mentor of Victor Frankenstein’s from his school days who sweeps in on the eve of Victor’s wedding night to drag him away (with only mild convincing required) so that the two can conduct some experiments to determine if they can make life together. With that plot, and the queer rep in front of and behind the camera, this one’s very much a gay fever dream. You can rent Bride of Frankenstein from Prime Video.

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Rope (1948)

Though Hitchcock’s adaptation of the play of the same name scrubs overt references to its lead characters’ sexuality (which wouldn’t have been allowed at the time), the director was never afraid to push homosexual subtext to the very edge, and a viewer would have to be fairly sheltered to see prissy, fastidious murderers Brandon and Phillip (John Dall and Farley Granger) as mere roommates. The limited setting and experimental filming style didn’t entirely please Hitchcock, but the claustrophobic atmosphere and sharp dialogue rachet up the suspense nicely. You can stream Rope on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

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Un chant d’amour (1950)

Two prisoners are tormented by a voyeuristic prison guard in Jean Genet’s short film, full of homoerotic imagery that might be less shocking in 2023, but no less effective. The two never touch, except in a fantasy sequence, but seeing the two men share a bit of smoke from a single cigarette remains one of cinema’s hottest images. You might also find the movie under the title Song of Love. You can stream Un chant d’amour on Kanopy.

Un chant d’amour (1950)

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Olivia (1951)

Unavailable for decades, Olivia is almost shockingly forthright: the nutshell premise involves an all-girls school divided into cliques whose loyalty is fought over by the lesbian couple who run things. The student-teacher angle is troubling to modern eyes, but this isn’t a lascivious movie exactly, despite the setup. It’s the title character’s coming-of-age story, smart in telling a story about how we have to choose the person we want to be, even as we’re constantly being pulled in different directions. You can stream Olivia on Hoopla.

Olivia (1951)

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Tea & Sympathy (1956)

Dealing with the same questions of masculinity inherent in other movies of the era (think Rebel Without a Cause), Tea & Sympathy represents an awkward, fascinating look at 1950s ideas of queerness. Tom Robinson Lee (John Kerr) is the new kid at an all-boys prep school bursting with gay subtext (consider the ways the other boys love to roughhouse and worship their coach—it’s so straight that it circles around to being very, very gay. Tom is a shy and fey reader, gay bashed by his more overtly butch classmates, who strikes up a friendship with the headmaster’s wife that turns romantic. It’s all fascinating, even if it doesn’t stand up to strict analysis, and director Vincente Minelli certainly knows how to make a compelling movie. You can rent Tea & Sympathy from Prime Video.

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Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

This whackadoo Southern Gothic Mystery (from a Tennessee Williams play) involves a young man, the son of Katherine Hepburn’s memorably named Violet Venable, who dies under mysterious circumstances on a holiday in Spain. Though Violet had been happy to be his wingwoman in helping him meet other men for sexual encounters, she’s less keen on the world finding out precisely how he died. She’s perfectly happy to lobotomize one of her son’s good friends just to make sure; it’s a wild time, right up to the memorably off the wall finale. You can stream Suddenly, Last Summer on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

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A Taste of Honey (1961)

When 17-year-old Jo (Rita Tushingham) becomes pregnant by a sailor (he’s long gone by the time she realizes), she can’t turn to her needy, alcoholic mother for comfort. Instead, she falls into the arms of Geof (the great Murray Melvin), a gay textile student and the most wholesome character in the entire movie. It was shocking at the time, not only for including a gay character but for its gritty realism, making it a brilliant taste of what was to come. You can stream A Taste of Honey on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

A Taste of Honey (1961)

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Victim (1961)

Not only does Dirk Bogarde (closeted at the time) play one of cinema’s first bisexual characters, he’s the hero of the story, and entirely sympathetic (if a victim, as the title suggests). Bogarde a successful London lawyer (sorry: barrister) who is being blackmailed for his occasional sexual encounters with a male friend. It’s a landmark in its treatment of queer characters but, as importantly, it’s a taut and compelling neo-noir, briskly directed by veteran Basil Dearden. You can stream Victim on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

Victim (1961)

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The Queen (1968)

Long hard to find, but recently restored by Kino Lorber, documentary The Queen follows the contestants of a New York City drag pageant overseen by queen, activist, and trans icon Flawless Sabrina. It’s a loose and joyful portrait of a distinct time in queer history, and includes appearances by luminaries of the era, including Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgewick, and designer Dorian Corey. You can stream The Queen on Kanopy and Kino Film or rent it from Prime Video.

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Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

At the peak of Japan’s New Wave, writer/director Toshio Matsumoto created this classic that blends ultra-realism with hauntingly beautiful, occasionally psychedelic imagery. The plot takes inspiration from, and flips, the story of Oedipus Rex, seamlessly blending the mythic with the mundane in following Eddie (Shinnosuke Ikehata) and other transgender women in the swinging Tokyo of the 1960s. You can stream Funeral Parade of Roses on Kanopy.

Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

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The Boys in the Band (1970)

William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) directs the film adaptation of the controversial off-Broadway play—controversial for the fact that every character is gay or bisexual, and controversial among queer audiences for frequently portraying its characters as self-hating and self-pitying. It’s not exactly an uplifting portrait of being a gay man in America, but it reflects something real, if not always pretty. The performances are nearly uniformly great, and if it plays as a pre-liberation period piece, there are plenty of other aspects that still feel sadly relevant. (The play is still staged, and Netflix did a new version just a couple of years ago). You can rent The Boys in the Band from Prime Video.

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Some of My Best Friends Are… (1971)

A low-budget melodrama released in the wake of The Boys in the Band, Some of My Best Friends Are… follows the messy, boozy meanderings of the clientele of a New York gay bar over an evening. While a little excessively dramatic (and full of tiresomely self-pitying characters), it’s less stagey than Boys, and more diverse, as well, at least in terms of the queer spectrum. We encounter gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters over the course of the night, and a straight chaser played by none other than Rue McClanahan. The eclectic cast is a big part of the appeal: McClahanan’s is a major role alongside that of comedienne and author Fannie Flagg (best known for her Match Game appearances in the ’70s and her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which she adapted into the successful ’90s film). Trans Andy Warhol muse Candy Darling is also here, along with several other faces you may recognize if you watched too much TV in the 1970s and ’80s. You can stream Some of My Best Friends Are… on MGM+.

Some of My Best Friends Are… (1971)

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Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Long before Brokeback Mountain, a queer-themed film earned some major attention from the Oscars—four nominations for this John Schlesinger film, though it did much better at the BAFTAs, actually winning five awards, including Best Film. More noteworthy is that regardless of its dramatic, and even tragic developments, the movie doesn’t ever suggest that queerness is at the root of the characters’ problems. Murray Head plays a freewheeling bisexual artist pursuing simultaneous relationships with a gay doctor (played by Peter Finch) and a straight consultant (the great Glenda Jackson). It wasn’t a big hit at the box office, but it was one of the biggest critical successes of the year. You can stream Sunday Bloody Sunday on Prime Video.

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Female Trouble (1974)

At the center of John Waters’ so-called Trash Trilogy came Female Trouble, starring Divine as juvenile delinquent Dawn Davenport, whose quest for cha-cha heels leads her down a path of filth and misery more than worthy of (and very much inspired by) Hollywood’s great melodramas. Pink Flamingoes might get name-checked more often, but nothing in John Waters oeuvre can beat Dawn’s Christmas morning freak-out. Female Trouble is the best and most cohesive film from the director’s early, most wonderfully perverse era. You can stream Female Trouble on The Criterion Channel or buy it from Prime Video.

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Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Al Pacino and the late, great John Cazale (who was never in a bad movie) play Sonny and Sal, first-time bank robbers based on two real-life men. Sonny is desperate for money to pay for his trans wife’s gender-reassignment surgery, so he plans the heist with friend Sal, the result being a violent debacle. With an eye on queer liberation, the movie tackles the failures of the counterculture while gleefully thumbing its nose at the cops. It’s a fabulous heist movie—one of the best movies of its era, period—and doesn’t look down on its lead character’s bisexuality, nor his marriage to a trans woman. You can rent Dog Day Afternoon from Prime Video.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Even if much of the cast is straight, Rocky Horror went from being a cult classic to a rite of passage for your queers, full of gleefully over-the-top characters who either start out as sex-and-gender fluid, or who get there by the end. It’s survived because it’s so much fun (even if, or maybe because, the plot makes almost no sense), and because it somehow also caught on with straight audiences who want to walk on the wild side for a few hours, with Brad and Janet serving as their able guides. If they can let their hair down and party with Dr. Frank-N-Furter and the gang, maybe there’s hope for this world. You can rent Rocky Horror from Prime Video.

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Cruising (1980)

William Friedkin returned to queer cinema (after Boys in the Band) with far more mixed results, both in terms of the film’s quality and its reception. Based on a novel that was, itself, inspired by a string of real murders, the movie sees Al Pacino as a cop sent undercover into the NYC leather scene in order to find the person who’s killing his hook-ups. Focusing on more extreme, but not entirely unrealistic, elements of the cruising scene at the time, the movie was protested by gay groups even during production. Given that the number of mainstream gay films was nearly zero in 1980, it was hard for people to get behind a portrayal of queer life so heavily tilted toward violence and fisting, whatever Friedkin’s best intentions. Ultimately, it’s entirely too goofy and nonsensical (though often quite fun) to get mad at, and the conversation that sprung up around it gave voice to a growing cinematic constituency. You can rent Cruising from Prime Video.

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Desert Hearts (1985)

Following the comparatively more progressive 1970s, the 1980s were an era when queer movies were either justifiably HIV/AIDS focused, or all about gay/bisexual serial killers (Dressed to Kill, Cruising, etc.) Desert Hearts bucks both of those trends in the best ways. Vivian (Helen Shaver ), an English professor in the middle of a divorce, meets Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), an uninhibited sculptor, at a ranch in Reno. Though Vivian struggles a bit with the unexpected lesbian attraction, the romantic drama steers clear of tragedy entirely. You can stream Desert Hearts on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

Desert Hearts (1985)

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My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

An early triumph of intersectionality, this adaptation of the Hanif Kaueishi novel introduces Omar (Gordon Warnecke), the new owner of a run-down laundromat who winds up back in a relationship with his one-time Nazi punk boyfriend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). It’s a great film about class and racism that provides a vivid portrait of life in the Thatcher/Reagan-era 1980s. It’s also a romance that suggests there’s hope for moving forward from the mistakes of the past while reminding us forgiveness is never guaranteed. You can rent My Beautiful Laundrette from Prime Video.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

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Paris is Burning (1990)

Ball culture is still very much with us, both in its purest form in major American cities, and by having expanded into the mainstream (more or less) thanks to Madonna and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Paris is Burning captures the joys and heartbreaks of a particular moment (New York City in the late 1980s) when black and latino gay, trans, and genderqueer performers were burning up the stages in something like a golden age of drag, even while racism, poverty, anti-trans violence, and HIV/AIDS were destroying their lives. In some ways, it’s a glorious document of a bygone era; in others ways, good and bad, it feels entirely relevant to our present era. When you’re done here, catch 2016’s Kiki, a more recent documentary that updates the story of ball culture (what’s changed, and what hasn’t). You can stream Paris is Burning on Max and The Criterion Channel.

Paris is Burning (1990)

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The Living End (1992)

New Queer Cinema pioneer Gregg Araki’s best-known film is likely Mysterious Skin, but his angry, freewheeling early work The Living End is the purest expression of his talents as a filmmaker. Having survived a decade during which queer people were demonized (more than usual even) and then ignored when faced with a plague, Araki responded with a primal scream in which a couple of HIV positive drifters kill a homophobic cop and take off on a “fuck everything”-themed road trip. You can stream The Living End on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

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The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Though played by straight cis (apparently) actors, the three traveling drag queens at the center of Stephan Elliott’s deliberately campy lark bring a sense of fun and adventure to this Australian road trip. The three actual queens—Cindy Pastel, Strykermyer and Lady Bump—on whose lives the movie is based were originally intended to play themselves before the studio intervened, so I’m going to knock off a few points for that missed opportunity for authenticity. Still, the movie is fun, funny, and positive, a far cry from most of the queer-themed movies of the era. Its worldwide popularity (on a barely-there budget) almost certainly moved the needle a bit on queer, and particularly trans, representation. You can stream Priscilla on Kanopy and Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

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Jeffrey (1995)

Though its synopsis has more to do with finding love and overcoming the fear of dying (HIV/AIDS is very much front and center), there’s a joyful, frothy quality to Jeffrey that’s understandably lacking in most of the many other movies in which AIDS is a primary topic. This one’s a charming (and sex-positive) rom-com with cute lead performances from Steven Weber and Michael T. Weiss, and a scene-stealing appearance by Patrick Stewart. You can stream Jeffrey on Peacock, Tubi, Freevee, and Prime Video.

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The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Cheryl Dunye’s low-budget rom-com deserved to have as significant a cultural impact as the era’s other independent hit set in a video store—Clerks—but instead had to settle for cult status. Dunye plays herself, sort of, as an aspiring filmmaker and a young, Black lesbian exploring the life of a fictional film mammy from Hollywood’s golden age, the title’s Watermelon Woman. Aside from being genuinely funny and unpretentious, the movie has a lot of smart things to say, and smart questions to ask, about the lives and experiences of queer Black people. You can stream The Watermelon Woman on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

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Bound (1996)

Queer themes abound in the works of Lana and Lily Wachowski, by far the most successful trans directors in the history of the medium. This transgressive lesbian neo-noir, their very first film, sends up major sparks in its depiction of the relationship between dueling femmes fatale, Gina Gershon’s Corky and Jennifer Tilly’s Violet. Queer characters in movies at the time could be the subject of jokes, or angry, or sad, but Bound made a strong case that same-sex attraction is simply hot. You can rent Bound from Prime Video.

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Happy Together (1997)

The elliptical narrative and deliberate pacing might have turned off some viewers, but Wong Kar-wai’s frank story of a gay couple (played by Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai) who travel from Hong Kong to Argentina to escape an extremely troubled, and even abusive relationship, it a poetic triumph. Don’t let the title fool you: these two aren’t really shouldn’t be together, but the performances are transfixing, and Wong’s style is as beautiful as it is memorable. You can stream Happy Together on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

Happy Together (1997)

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All About My Mother (1999)

Thanks to the New Queer Cinema movement, the ‘90s were an absolute golden age for films with LGBTQ+ themes, often with righteous anger at the repressive, near-genocidal ‘80s as their driving force. Pedro Almodóvar’s films, on the other hand, do something different: they’re colorful and joyous, even as they speak to unpleasant truths. Here, grieving mother Manuela goes on something like a road trip to find her son’s father, Lola, a trans woman who doesn’t even know she has a son. Along the way, she meets up with her old friend Agrado, herself a trans sex worker who, among the film’s many eclectic characters, serves as the Manuela’s rock and the film’s most fully realized human being. You can rent All About My Mother from Prime Video.

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Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

In lieu of describing this movie about a genderqueer German rock singer whose botched gender reassignment surgery left them with the titular angry inch, I’ll just sing the entire soundtrack beginning to end. Such is the hold the movie has on me, and an awful lot of other people. You can rent Hedwig and the Angry Inch from Prime Video.

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Weekend (2011)

Andrew Haigh’s romantic drama, about two strangers who spend the titular weekend together, is so naturalistic it almost feels like a documentary. It captures the feel of modern relationships (even the short-term ones) that still feels fresh, even more than a decade later. You can stream Weekend on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

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Pariah (2011)

Dee Rees brings a confident, assured style to Pariah, not to mention a stunningly beautiful visual style that ensures it doesn’t look like any other movie. It’s a vibrant and deeply personal coming-of-age/coming out story that never feels like a lesbian message movie, signaling a new era of more complex narratives centered on queer characters. You can rent Pariah from Prime Video.

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Tangerine (2015)

This is probably the most fun you’ll ever have watching a girlfriend/buddy/revenge comedy movie about two trans sex workers on the hunt for the man who did one of them wrong. As heartfelt as it is madcap, it puts us more firmly in a cinematic era in which more and more complex queerdos are making their ways to the screen. Shot on a couple of iPhones, director Sean Baker and company make a virtue of the intimacy and immediacy that modern technology can bring. You can stream Tangerine on Max or rent it from Prime Video.

Tangerine (2015)

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Rafiki (2018)

Banned in the film’s home of Kenya, Rafiki follows a couple of women, Kena and Ziki, who begin a flirtatious relationship that builds to romance. Though there are hints of tragedy in the story of a legally and socially forbidden love, it’s also bright and buoyant, both in its story and in its sumptuous look. You can rent Rafiki from Prime Video.

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Knife+Heart (2018)

Fowl deeds are afoot on the set of a French gay erotic film shoot during this ultra-stylish, colorful, psychedelic tribute to not only Italian gialli of yore, but also to the golden age of 1970s porn. You can stream Knife+Heart on Shudder, Freevee, and Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

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Disclosure (2020)

Sometimes it helps to have everything laid out in front of us, as Disclosure does in an entertaining, but methodical, fashion. With input from trans celebrities, including Laverne Cox, Jamie Clayton, Chaz Bono, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Candis Cayne, Lilly Wachowski, Leo Sheng, and many others, it examines the history of trans representation in film for good (some) and for ill (mostly). The chief argument is that trans people are much more (and much more diverse) than their cinematic counterparts, and that while there has been progress in terms of authentic portrayals, it has been slow. You can stream Disclosure on Netflix.

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Tampa councilwoman will introduce ordinance for residential and business parking on ‘Yellow Brick Row’

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A metered parking spot outside Cafe Hey in Tampa, Florida on Dec. 2, 2024.

While Hope Donnelly listened to Tampa City Council discuss her situation last month, she hoped councilmembers would walk a few steps in her ruby red shoes. Donnelly, owner of the Rialto Theatre, said that after months of pushback on the new parking meters across five blocks of the city’s “Yellow Brick Row”, she’s been consistently reaching out to both the parking division and council hoping to get at least residential parking. Council Member Lynn Hurtak told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that although she never received direct communication, she will introduce an ordinance that includes Franklin Street in an existing city permit program. The program, which Hurtak expects will pass, would grant two residential spots for residents and four business spots for storefronts, Hurtak said. But if complaints were made, even before the meters were activated, why didn’t the permitting happen sooner? “I asked the parking director (Fed Revolte) why haven’t we done this before… we started putting down the meters and knowing the business owners were concerned and he said ‘Well, it’s because we can’t do it, the ordinance has to be done by council’,” Hurtak said. Revolte initially said there was no pushback from the community on the meters being installed. When asked about the delay on the Tampa Parking Division’s communication to the council, a spokeswoman said they had no additional information beyond their first statements to CL. On Dec. 12—nine days after metered parking was activated on Yellow Brick Row—Councilmember Bill Carlson requested a report on businesses at N Franklin Avenue, with the possibility of banning the meters on “Yellow Brick Row.” Carlson mentioned the concern with small businesses in the area. Hurtak interjected. “Here is the thing, we went through the exact same thing with Ybor City. They did not lose business because of this. I asked the Ybor Chamber of Commerce. They lost no businesses. I understand that this is difficult, but just like that, we’ve got to give it a shot before we do something,” Hurtak said in the council meeting. “This is an area that is still developing. It is not like Ybor where there is people and traffic, it is still developing,” Carlson rebutted. Hurtak added that the demand from parking that came from the overflow in Ybor City, Channelside and Armature Works was pouring into Yellow Brick Row, and that the meters were already placed and activated. She said growth from the surrounding areas might bring traffic into the N Franklin Street businesses. Elevation Coffee Heights’s bar manager might agree with Hurtak. Last December, when CL first interviewed employees on Yellow Brick Row, Caleb Wright said his biggest concern were the returning clients that came in for more than coffee. What would they do if parking costs $2 an hour? “It will definitely make people less inclined to stay here for an extended period of time and hang out with us,” he said.“And that is kind of what we are about, what we do, is hang out with people.” When CL returned in January, Wright had a different outlook. In fact, he said they are doing better than average. “Our sales this month actually already surpassed last month’s total. I guess I haven’t noticed a decrease in business,” Wright said.

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Photo by Julia Saad

Kate Swann, owner of the Florida School of Woodwork in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 13, 2025.

Kate Swann, owner of the Florida School of Woodwork, said each business will have a different report to hand back to the council; hers will include the fact that the school will have to spend unexpected funds to cover student parking. “Our students don’t have a place to park for hours on end, they now have to park further away and it’s hard to bring all their tools in,” Swann said. “Obviously as a small business, finding extra money is a hard thing.” At the end of Dec. 12 meeting, the council decided that the business report for Yellow Brick Row should be brought back on Thursday, Feb. 20. Before that meeting, however, Hurtak said her plan is to introduce the ordinance for permitting during the Feb. 6 council meeting. Council, she added, will have to move quickly because of new construction happening in that district, and the demand it will have for street parking. “Could the city have done a bit better with planning for this? Yes, but unfortunately that’s not what occurred, so we are going to do what we can to fix it in the meantime,” Hurtak said. Studies are usually conducted to determine the best outcome for meters in specific areas such as Ybor City or Channelside. Hurtak added that she does not know if a study on the “Yellow Brick Row” district was conducted prior to the installation of the meters. Hurtak said she hopes businesses will gain foot traffic due to the new eight-story residential building and YMCA developments.Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky

TAXI DRIVER Scribe Paul Schrader Embraces ChatGPT for Film Ideas: “Why Should Writers Sit Around for Months?”

Paul Schrader, the writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and director of First Reformed, is stirring the pot in Hollywood with his candid thoughts on AI’s potential role in filmmaking. In a recent Facebook post, Schrader revealed he had turned to ChatGPT to generate plot ideas for films, including hypothetical movies by renowned directors, and the results left him floored. Schrader shared: “I’M STUNNED. I just asked ChatGPT for ‘an idea for a Paul Schrader film.’ Then Paul Thomas Anderson. Then Quentin Tarantino. Then Harmony Korine. Then Ingmar Bergman. Then Rossellini. Lang. Scorsese. Murnau. Capra. Ford. Spielberg. Lynch. Every idea ChatGPT came up with (in a few seconds) was good. And original. And fleshed out.”Schrader then posed the question: “Why should writers sit around for months searching for a good idea when AI can provide one in seconds?”As you might imagine, Schrader’s post quickly drew backlash. Responses ranged from comments like, “Paul, is everything okay?” to outright disapproval: “Jesus Paul… stop promoting that shit, please.”Schrader also disclosed that he had asked ChatGPT to critique a script he wrote years ago. He then said that “in five seconds it responded with notes as good or better than I’ve ever received” from a “film executive.”\This experience led the filmmaker to this conclusion: “AI is smarter than I am. Has better ideas, has more efficient ways to execute them.”Schrader likened the moment to when chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov faced defeat by IBM’s Deep Blue in 1997, describing it as “an existential moment.”AI’s place in the creative world is a contentious topic, with Schrader unapologetically positioning himself at the forefront of the debate. I want to point out that Schrader’s admiration for AI’s capabilities doesn’t undermine human creativity but questions the inefficiencies of traditional brainstorming processes.Schrader most recent project is Oh, Canada, starring Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi, which premiered at Cannes and explores the reflections of a dying filmmaker. He’s also developing a noir thriller about “the stupid things men do for love,” titled Non Compos Mentis.What are your thoughts on Schrader’s experience with AI?

Maryland business leaders call for crackdown on organized retail theft

BALTIMORE — Maryland business leaders and advocates are pushing lawmakers to pass a bill that would crack down on organized retail theft and hold offenders accountable. The Organized Retail Theft Act introduced in the General Assembly defines the crime as a series of thefts from one or more retailers over 90 days. Organized retail theft would be a felony under the proposed bill, with penalties varying based on the value of the stolen items. If the value of the stolen property is between $1,500 and $25,000, a maximum sentence of five years could be imposed. If the value of the stolen property is between $25,000 and $100,000, a maximum sentence of 10 years could be imposed. If the value of the stolen property is $100,000 or more, a maximum sentence of 20 years could be imposed. A person convicted of organized retail theft would also have to return the stolen property or pay the full value to the retailer.Under the proposed bill, separate organized crime offenses carried out by the same person could be prosecuted together in any of the counties in which the offenses occurred. The bill would also allow a court to decide if a certain crime should be considered organized retail theft. A similar bill was introduced in 2024 but stalled in the Senate.Business owners speak out The Greater District Heights Community Coalition (GDHCC) is pushing for lawmakers to pass the bill to strengthen protections for businesses and improve community safety. The GDHCC, along with the Maryland Retailers Alliance and other advocates, are expected to hold a news conference Tuesday to share firsthand accounts of how the proposed legislation could help in the fight against organized retail crime. Rise in retail theftRetail theft has increased across the U.S. and in Maryland. According to an October 2024 report from Capital One Shopping’s Research team, retailers in Maryland lost about $1.403 billion in revenue to theft in 2022. 

Some retailers have started to take action against theft. In May 2024, Giant Food enacted a ban on large bags at some locations to fight “unprecedented levels” of theft. The Giant store in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood was one of many locations to implement the ban. In August, two Giant grocery stores in Baltimore banned shoppers younger than 17 from entering the store unsupervised after 6 p.m.In a statement, Giant said they initiated the policy at select stores that “are experiencing high shrink to mitigate the unprecedented levels of product theft that have become unsustainable.” According to Capitol One’s report, retail theft per capita in Maryland is about 15% lower than the average among U.S. states. In November, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown spoke out against organized retail crime after four men were indicted for their involvement in retail burglaries across six counties. “Organized retail crimes are not victimless. Stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from businesses can lead to higher prices for products that Marylanders need, and cost hardworking employees their jobs,” AG Brown said.

How risk mitigation can power strategic business success

Vicky LeVay is senior director of risk, compliance, and information security at accounting software company FloQast. Views are the author’s own. 

For many organizations, compliance is considered a burdensome necessity that’s about following the rules and not wasting any time beyond that. But teams can transform compliance from a reactive legal function to a proactive strategic asset by reframing it as a tool for risk orchestration.

Vicky LeVay
Courtesy of FloQast

Risk orchestration is a way of leveraging compliance to help an organization stay ahead of changes in its business landscape by strategically navigating risks instead of avoiding them. 
Transitioning your compliance function into a strategic tool can help align your organization’s compliance goals with its business strategy, enabling it to meet its goals more effectively while remaining resilient in the face of change.

The first step for transforming compliance into risk orchestration is shifting the perception of what the function is within your organization, especially among those on the finance team whose job is to ensure compliance with legal reporting requirements.
These team members are already thinking about risk — identifying threats and taking steps to control or minimize them. But this narrow focus on risk mitigation can sometimes stifle opportunities for growth and innovation because innovation is often risky. A more comprehensive approach can allow organizations to use risk to their advantage
Of course, what an organization’s compliance function looks like varies depending on its stage of growth, whether it’s privately held or publicly traded and the industries it operates in, among other things. So, a one-size-fits-all approach to compliance won’t work. Each organization must tailor its compliance strategy to its circumstances, ensuring that risk is not only mitigated but managed to support business objectives.
Technology role
Many organizations are not prepared to embrace risk orchestration. A recent survey found that only 16% of compliance professionals feel ready to embrace the strategic capability of risk navigation. Many feel stuck in a cycle of manual, time-consuming tasks, or they lack the support from their organization to think beyond risk mitigation tactics.
This is where technology and team alignment come into play. By adopting technology that automates routine compliance tasks such as reporting, companies can free up their compliance teams to focus on higher-level strategic thinking about those risks. With better visibility into risk data and stronger alignment across the organization, compliance professionals can begin to take an active role in shaping business decisions.

To unlock this potential, organizations must build a foundation of support for their compliance teams. This starts with equipping teams with tools to reduce manual workloads, allowing them to shift from reactive to proactive roles. The next step is fostering a culture where compliance is viewed not as a barrier to innovation but as an enabler of strategic growth.
Ending the mundane
Compliance teams spend too much time on manual tasks – gathering data, preparing reports and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, which are always evolving. As new regulations are enacted, workloads increase, leaving little capacity for strategic thinking or proactive risk management. If an organization implements automation tools to streamline routine tasks, such as report generation and compliance monitoring, the compliance team can become more efficient. Team members can reduce time spent on manual processes and shift their focus to analyzing trends and identifying risks earlier.
This shifting approach can go beyond leveraging automation; organizations can also prioritize stronger collaboration between compliance and other departments such as business development. This alignment would enable compliance professionals to contribute insights during strategic planning, ensuring that initiatives were launched with an understanding of regulatory implications. For example, when an organization expands into new markets, the compliance team can identify regulatory challenges in advance, allowing the company to navigate them effectively.
Ending the compliance grind
As the business environment evolves, those organizations that reframe compliance will be better positioned to use risk to their advantage. Rather than viewing compliance as a simple checkbox, they will see it as a strategic asset that helps them meet their goals and remain competitive.
Risk mitigation will always be important. However, the future of compliance lies in the ability to embrace risk orchestration. Organizations that support their compliance professionals and reimagine the possibilities of compliance will not only protect themselves from harm but also position themselves for long-term success. By turning compliance into a strategic advantage, businesses can seize opportunities, drive growth and stay ahead of the competition.