The Ampersand’s Weekend Watchlist offers bingeable movie recommendations bundled into themes. Our recs for the last weekend of Pride month: movies, documentaries, and other resources to help us learn more about the history of the movement and the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Weekend Watchlist: Pride 2020
Pride began with a protest.
On the night of June 28, 1969, one of the most pivotal events in LGBTQ history happened: the Stonewall Riot. Police raided Stonewall Inn, a popular New York City gay bar that was a safe space for the LGBTQ community. Police raids, harassment, and arrests were common. The Stonewall Riot wasn’t the first protest for LGBTQ rights, but it was a turning point that led to modern gay rights movement.
Now, 51 years later, in Mendiola, members of the LGBTQ+ community were arrested during a peaceful protest—a stark reminder that Pride was, and still is, a protest against oppression.
Pride is more than a celebration. Pride is more than expression. Pride is resistance. Pride is protest.
In this Weekend Watchlist, we share films and documentaries that tell stories of the LGBTQ+ community. All our recs are, as usual, available for streaming in the Philippines.
State of Pride (2019)
State of Pride is a YouTube Original documentary by Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The docu offers a glimpse into LGBTQ+ communities, 50 years after the Stonewall Riots. While the film shows how far the movement has come, it’s also a reminder of the long way ahead.
Where to watch: YouTube
A Secret Love (2020)
A Secret Love is the story of two incredible women and their 70-year relationship. The documentary features Pat Henschel and Terry Donahue, a lesbian couple who had to keep their relationship a secret for decades. We meet Pat and Terry in their late 80s—when they had only just revealed their relationship to their families.
Where to watch: Netflix
Miss Bulalacao (2015)
Miss Bulalacao is a piece of Filipino magical realism. The film narrates the story of Dodong, a young transgender who joins a barangay gay pageant and wins the title of Miss Bulalacao. Things take a colorful turn when Dodong gets pregnant by a magical entity.
Where to watch: iWant
Ang Huling Chacha ni Anita (2014)
Ang Huling Chacha ni Anita is a coming-of-age film about Anita, a young girl whose sexual awakening was caused by a beautiful, mysterious woman who has just returned to their hometown.
Where to watch: YouTube
(A)sexual (2011)
(A)sexual brings awareness about the lives of people who experience no sexual attraction. The documentary sheds light on the struggles, challenges, and misconceptions that asexual people face in a world that automatically assumes sexual to be the default.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
While you’re still here…
Let’s take this one step further. Watching films and documentaries is just one way to educate ourselves about Pride and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. More than being aware, we must take action.
If you are in a position to do so, open your purse to initiatives that support the LGBTQ+ community.
Support our trans youth through Euphoria, a pay-what-you-can guidebook “that will answer your hard questions about gender and what it means to be trans in simple ways”.
Contribute to a Solidarity Fund that will go towards the bail of the 20 individuals arrested in Mendiola. #FreePride20
Be a critical consumer of Pride merchandise.
Despite what corporations want you to think—and buy—Pride is more than just rainbows. Beware of fake allyship and brands that slap on the rainbow and call it a day. They’re trying to monetize the movement without actually helping. Be sure to hand over your hard-earned money to organizations that support, partner with, and give back to the community.
Or if you’re looking for free stuff, have yourself some free Pride phone wallpapers from the Commission on Human Rights.
Continue educating yourself.
We live at a time when the interwebz is a thing, so it’s not difficult to access information in whatever form you prefer: books, articles, music, even memes. We’ve previously written about a bunch of pop culture references about gender and sexuality on The Ampersand Essentials.
Patriz Biliran and Regina Peñarroyo co-run The Ampersand and write blog articles in their free time.
