BY: Amanda Jane Stern

It is officially Pride. And while there is a lot going on in the world right now, we have to remember, we wouldn’t even have Pride if it weren’t for Black trans-women who fought back against the police. Which is why, we want to take this time to look at some of the best in Black queer cinema.

Rafiki (2018)

This Kenyan movie follows Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva). Despite the political rivalry between their families, the two young women form a close bond that blossoms into romance. However, they have to decide if being together is worth risking their safety in a society that shuns the LGBTQ+ community.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)

Transgender activist Victoria Cruz probes the mysterious 1992 death of her friend Marsha P. Johnson. Johnson was a Black, transgender gay rights activist. She is credited with throwing the brick that ignited the Stonewall riots. In 1992, her body was found in the Hudson River. Although her death was officially ruled a suicide, many believe she was murdered.

Saturday Church (2017)

This movie follows 14-year-old Ulysses (Luka Kain), who grapples with his gender identity and religion and escapes into a fantasy world to cope. Things start to look brighter when he discovers Saturday Church, a weekend program held in a church that feeds and provides shelter for LGBTQ+ youths.

Moonlight (2016)

This Best Picture Oscar-winner follows Chiron, a young Black gay man from Miami, through three different chapters in his life. We first meet him as a child (Alex Hibbert) questioning his sexuality, then as a teen (Ashton Sanders) and then as an adult (Trevante Rhodes). Throughout each stage, he continues to grapple with his identity and sexuality.

Tangerine (2015)

It was shot on an iPhone 5S and follows a transgender sex worker named Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez). Sin-Dee has just gotten out of prison after 28-days only to find out that her pimp/boyfriend Chester (James Ransone) has been cheating on her. She goes on a hunt to find him and settle a score.

Pariah (2011)

Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a Brooklyn teenager who, through her friendship with the openly lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), comes to terms with her identity as a butch lesbian. But her mother, Audrey (Kim Wayans), is less than supportive and tries to push her to be more feminine and to stay away from Laura.

Rag Tag (2006)

Raymond “Rag” (Daniel Parsons) and Tagbo “Tag” (Adedamola Adelaja) became best friends at age eight and stayed friends until Rag moved away from London. Ten years later, Rag returns to reconnect with Tag. Their close friendship immediately resumes, but they discover their feelings for each other are more than platonic.

The Watermelon Woman (1996)

The movie follows Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), an African-American lesbian who works in a video store and aspires to be a filmmaker. She becomes fascinated by a Black actress from an old film, Plantation Memories. The actress is credited only as “The Watermelon Woman.” Cheryl decides to find out all she can about her.

Paris is Burning (1990)

This documentary delves into the world of 1980s NYC drag queens and their “house culture.” It follows the Queens as they prepare to compete against each other in “balls,” which are similar to fashion shows, where contestants adhere to a specific theme and get judged on a long list of criteria.