Coming out gay films
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The story revolves around best friends Michael and Matty, the latter of whom ends up coming out as gay, leading to various hijinks. Here are six movies that explore the idea of coming out.
6 Boy Erased (2018)
Having received numerous nominations for major awards, such as the Golden Globes, Boy Erasedis a critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ movie based on a real-life experience.
During the series, he dates both men and women, and actor Connor Swindells gives a nuanced and heartfelt performance in the role, slowly revealing Adam’s many layers to the audience. Alike (Oduye) juggles relationships, heartbreaks, family, and her identity in a desperate need to express her sexuality and find her own way in the world. The show is quite outrageous and campy, but it also has a heart of gold.
It’s easy to see why this show remains so beloved among its many fans.
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'Overcompensating'
Prime Video
Created by and starring Benito Skinner, Overcompensating focuses on Benny, a young closeted man who slowly comes to terms with himself and his identity after he goes away to college.
Just as importantly, it shows just how much of an impact the closet continues to have on young people, particularly those who grow up outside of major cities.
Netflix
While many members of the LGBTQ+ community have seen an increase in representation in recent years, there are still relatively few depictions of bisexuality in popular culture.
It's highly underappreciated in our opinion. As the main star of the satirical romantic comedy But I’m A Cheerleader, Lyonne portrays the lead character Megan who gets sent to a conversion camp to learn the ways of a heterosexual life, but instead ends up falling in love with a fellow lesbian at the camp.
As its title suggests, it focuses on the relationship between a struggling actor, Christian, and Elder Aaron, a Mormon who starts questioning his sexuality once he meets Christian. The lessons learned, the many references to the oceans, and the soft-spoken metaphors will surely rip your heart right out.
Whatever your stance on coming out, there's power in seeing LGBTQ+ characters on the big screen share their full, authentic selves. Of course, the opposite ends up happening, and Megan ultimately gains the power to claim her identity. It’s a film of big feelings and intimate ideas, and it shows both the trial and the triumph of being oneself.
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Alex Strangelove
Netflix
Alex Strangeloveis sweet and hilarious at the same time.
Perhaps read Garrard Conley's 2016 memoir of the same name in advance to prepare yourselves.
Related: Best LGBTQ+ Movies Based on Real-Life Historical Figures
5 Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
Although heavily criticized for its overly sexualized portrayal of the lead sapphic relationship, Blue is the Warmest Coloris definitely worth mentioning on our list.
the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the plot follows teenager Simon and his high-school year as a closeted gay boy, not ready to come out. The son of a baptist pastor is forced to undergo gay conversion therapy after being outed to his parents. It’s a sweet and tender film, one that explores both the joys and the challenges of coming out in the 1980s in a place like Sandusky, Ohio.
Netflix
As its title suggests, the hit Netflix series Sex Education grapples with quite a few issues when it comes to the sex lives of its teenage characters.
The movie has a realistically happy ending, and it's just extremely beautiful in portraying the struggles with gender identity, as well as family-related complications that come with coming out as your true self. His writing on film and TV has appeared at Screen Rant, Screenology, FanFare, Primetimer, Cinemania, and in a number of scholarly journals and edited collections