With great bounds being made for the LGBTQ+ community, including the legalization of gay marriage in the United States, more representation in film is necessary. Over the past couple of decades, the LGBTQ+ community has seen a surge in representation on the silver screen. While this is a wonderful thing, there are special circumstances that come into place as not every member of the LGBTQ+ community will have the same experiences, and sexuality intersects with almost every other aspect of identity—most especially, race.
While Moonlight was revolutionary in focusing on the intersection between race and sexuality, winning it Best Picture at the Academy Awards, it is not the only one of its kind. Thanks to directors like Patrik-Ian Polk, an openly gay Black director responsible for films like The Skinny and Blackbird, the number of Black LGBTQ+ characters has increased, raising awareness to the particular struggles that only Black members of the LGBTQ+ community face. These are the best movies about Black LGBTQ+ characters, ranked.
8 Bessie
This HBO TV biographical film tells the story of the life of singer Bessie Smith who is often referred to as the “Empress of Blues”. While the film focuses on Bessie’s rise to fame, it also covers the relationships she had with both her husband Jack Gee and her lesbian lover Lucille. At the same time, Bessie also addresses the racism Bessie faces in her rise to fame, including a scene where the Ku Klux Klan attack her during a party—she manages to chase them off, refusing to be silenced. Bessie received a great deal of praise, especially for singer-turned-actor Queen Latifah’s performance, earning four Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie.
7 The Wound
This South African drama follows Xolani as he joins other men in his community into the mountains to initiate the community’s teenagers on a quest into manhood through the Ulwaluko ceremony. On this journey, Xolani hopes to rekindle his romantic relationship with Vija. When Xolani discovers that the boy he is mentoring, Kwanda, is also gay, Kwanda soon discovers the nature of Xolani and Vija’s relationship, causing tensions to rise. The Wound was shortlisted for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards and won five awards at the South African Film and Television Awards, including Best Feature Film. The Wound weaves sexuality with traditional African practices, allowing the audience to see where race and sexuality intersect.
6 Blackbird
Directed by Patrik-Ian Polk, also responsible for The Skinny, Blackbird follows Randy, a devout choir singer who struggles with his sexuality, religion and the crushing pressures of the small Mississippi town. On top of Randy’s personal struggles, his sister has been missing for a number of years, and her absence, which his mother blames him for, is beginning to tear Randy’s family apart. The film features prolific Black actors including Isaiah Washington and Mo’Nique as Randy’s mother and father. An adaptation of the award-winning novel of the same name, Blackbird won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.
5 Rafiki
Set in Nairobi, Rafiki follows the lives of hard-working ambitious Kena and lay-about dancer Ziki who cross paths when their fathers run for seats in the County Assembly. Kena and Ziki find themselves attracted to one another and their relationship soon turns romantic. The couple fights for their love in spite of the prying eyes of the community. While the film received a great deal of pressure for addressing LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya, the film was originally banned in Kenya for “promoting lesbianism”, but Rafiki’s director Wanuri Kahiu sued the Kenyan government in order for the film to be eligible to be submitted to the Academy Awards and the ban was lifted which led to a sold-out audience viewing the film in Nairobi.
4 Tangerine
After getting out of jail, Sin-Dee discovers her boyfriend/pimp Chester has been cheating on her with a cisgender woman. Transgender sex worker Sin-Dee and her friend Alexandra set out to teach him a lesson. The two go through a series of ups and downs throughout the film, most of which occur at the donut shop, including the scene in which Sin-Dee is assaulted by urine being thrown on her and transphobic slurs being used. Tangerine was filmed using iPhone 5S and was edited using Final Cut Pro, an editing software commonly used by film students, but the film is anything but amateur. The film brought a great deal of attention to the number of transgender sex workers and the hardships that only the transgender community faces.
3 Pariah
Closeted lesbian teen looking for her first love, Alike struggles with her sexuality and whether or not she can share with her family, worried it will place too much strain on her parents’ marriage. Alike discovers an unlikely attraction when her mother forces her to befriend Bina, a colleague’s daughter. Alike embraces her identity as a butch lesbian, feeling comfortable in men’s underwear and baggy clothing, which her mother disapproves of. Pariah received a great deal of praise and took home a number of awards, including an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture and a Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance for Adepero Oduye.
2 Naz & Maalik
Naz & Maalik follows two Muslim teens over the course of one afternoon as their behavior of hustling lottery tickets leads them to be under the watchful eye FBI agent Sarah Mickell. When Mickell brings the pair in for questioning and the two provide her with different alibis, their secret relationship is threatened to be exposed. The film examines the intersection between sexuality and religion as the boys struggle to manage their relationship, keeping it secret from the world. Naz & Maalik also exposes racial profiling, particularly of Muslims in a post-9/11 world, by the criminal justice system as Mickell believes the pair to be radicalized Muslims. Naz & Maalik won Best Feature Film at the 2015 Seattle LGBT Film Festival.
1 Moonlight
Winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, Moonlight is the first LGBTQ+ film with an all-Black cast that’s won Best Picture. Following the life of Chiron from his childhood, adolescence and into his adulthood, Moonlight examines the aspects of struggling with one's sexuality and the impact of toxic masculinity on the Black community. For example: Chiron is introduced to a homophobic slur at a very young age, having an impact on how he views homosexuality. When Chiron’s father-figure Juan dies, Chiron struggles with his identity and eventually ends up doing what Juan did for a living: dealing drugs.