Movies teach us how to be. We learn morals, ethical lessons, how to interact with others, how to fall in and out of love. And we learn from movies how to view others—and how to view ourselves.
This has been truly evident in how film has depicted queer characters from its earliest days as visual medium. We have seen people like us reduced to stereotypes—sometimes based in truth, sometimes played by queer performers eager to find work and express their own identities in front of a camera, for better or for worse. Film has also depicted queer people as villains, victims, heroes, and outcasts. More often than not, films about the LGBT community are made not for those of us within it, but rather viewers who consider themselves a part of the straight world. Film teaches us about empathy, about understanding difference. Many films featuring queer characters have succeeded at that mission, while many others have failed.
credit goes to Tyler Coates and Dave Holmes
