Do you enjoy seeing black gay content? Check out this blog post of the hottest black gay movies.
On Netflix, cable, and Amazon there are tons of gay movies. These entities support LGBT culture and history. Just a few years I could never imagine a film featuring black gay lead characters. Today, there are so many queer black films that have been shown on youtube, Netflix, and other platforms. In this blog post, I discuss the hottest black gay movies.
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Best black gay movies
Moonlight
Ask any LGBTQ person and more than likely they have seen Moonlight. It’s one of those black gay movies of 2016 that even most straight persons heard of. It has received many Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Directing. The movie is about the life of a closeted black man named Chiron. All odds are again him. He is raised in a single-parent household by his troubled mother and he’s black and gay.
The movie starts with Chiron as a young boy living with his messy, neglectful mother. He has a father figure who’s a big-time drug dealer. During his childhood, Chiron suffers because of his living situation and also due to his battle with his sexuality. He endures bullying at school because of it. What I like about the movie is the development of his character in the movie. As a child, Chiron is very soft-spoken and timid but becomes more outspoken as an adult.
There isn’t any anal gay sex in the movie but there are some deeply romantic moments. The last scene in the movie is very touching. Chiron reconnects with his childhood friend Kevin. At the beginning of the movie Chiron and Kevin kiss on the beach. This was a black gay kiss scene that goes down in black gay movie history. During the last part of the movie, Chiron reminds Kevin of that moment and tells Kevin that he’s the only man that touched him. The movie ends with Kevin pulling Chiron close to him under his arm.
Moonlight is one of the best black LGBTQ movies on Netflix. If you want to keep your black gay card make sure you watch it.
I Am Not Your Negro
I Am Not Your Negro is a documentary that all LGBTQ persons and their allies should watch. I love movies like this because it raises consciousness about the oppression that African Americans have faced in the movie. The documentary focuses on racism in the United States and the civil rights movie. The movie is narrated by black gay icon James Baldwin. During the movie, Baldwin talks about civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
What was interesting in the movie is that the FBI had a memorandum that stated that James Baldwin was a dangerous individual. In the memo, it was stated that James might be a homosexual and that he could spoke of the relationships between whites and blacks.
Overall, this is a great movie for all straight and queer black persons to watch, especially those involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. For me personally, it reminds me that the world is too small for petty drama against my black brothers and that I should not harbor any hate or resentment in my heart towards anyone.
Holiday Heart
Holiday Heart is one of my favorite black LGBTQ movies of all time. It features one of my favorite black Ving Rames who plays a drag queen. The movie is about a drag queen named Holiday who takes care of a young girl named Niki and her drug addict mother Wanda. Niki is mature enough to understand that Wanda has serious substance abuse issues. Niki still loves her mother and struggles to maintain a relationship with her. This film makes me cringe because it reflects realities in the hood. I know of mothers abusing drugs and heard stories where they would treat their children like crap.
What I like about the movie is how Holiday is depicted in the movie. In the media, drag queens are usually depicted as over the top. Holiday is entertaining but you can connect with the character. Holiday shows genuine affection for those around her/him.
The Skinny
This movie is one of the most popular black gay movies created. This is another movie that I had to watch to keep my black gay card. The movie features some black gay influencers and celebrities including one of my favorite black gay male artists, Jussie Smollet. The movie is about 5 college friends who reunite for New York City Pride. The lead actor in the movie is Jussie. He plays the role of Magnus. Magnus is the level-headed friend and pretty much the father-like figure in his circle of close friends. He even makes sure to keep tabs on his friend Sebastian to make sure he’s protected at all times.
There are some really interesting points in the movie that shows how spiteful and hurtful we black gays can be towards each other. For instance, Magnus suspects his boyfriend is Ryan is cheating on him after he finds him another gay hook app. Magnus sees Ryan’s profile on the app which lists a gay party taking place. Magnus goes to the party and hides under the bed to see what’s going on. Ryan goes on top of the bed and has sex with another man. Overall, it is a good movie to watch that shows the crazy sex stories that happen in the gay black community.
The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson
This is a black LGBTQ movie about Marsha P Johnson. She was an African American transgender woman who played a big role in the gay rights movement. Marsha was involved in the 1969 Stonewall Riots which was a protest by LGBTQ persons against the police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. The 1960s was a period of different social movements and the LGBT liberation movement was a big one. Despite the blatant racism and discrimination against African Americans and persons of color Marsha still fought for LGBT rights.
What I liked about the movie is that it really showed how strong transgender women are. They have played such a big role in gay liberation. Many of them have literally put their lives on the line to have better lives for themselves and the LGBTQ community.
Nas and Maalik
Nas and Maalik is a black gay movie that was released in 2015. The movie is about two closeted Muslim teenagers in love with each other. The movie is set in Brooklyn, NY which is where I’m originally from so it hits home. Being black is a struggle in this country. Being black, queer, and Muslim is even more of a struggle. And so Nas and Malik face the internal and external struggle of dealing with their homosexuality.
One interesting scene in the movie is when Nas and Maalik are in an alleyway. This black gay kiss scene is romantic and passionate as you can tell in their eyes that they really care for each other.
Blackbird
Blackbird is a black gay movie directed by Patrick-Ian Polk who produced other successful black LGBTQ films including The Skinny and Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom. It’s about a young singer named Randy Rousseau struggling with his sexuality in the deep South. The lead character of the film is Julian Walker who’s openly gay. Honestly, this movie was heartbreaking. This movie gives a glimpse of the church and its condemnation of homosexuality. Because of her religious beliefs, Randy’s mother regarded homosexuality as a sin. Randy’s mother was very homophobic to the extent that she called him disgusting, spit on him, and blamed him for breaking up their family after seeing Randy kiss another guy.
The highlight of the movie was the kiss scene between Randy and his Caucasian lover. They were in a car making out with each other and seeming to have a great time. And then comes Randy’s mother who breaks the car window with a bat. And then everything goes downhill from there. The overly religious homophobic mother is so angry that she spits on Randy.
Noah’s Arc: Jump the Broom
Noah’s Arc: Jump the Broom is one of my favorite black gay movies. It was directed by Patrick-Ian Polk, a talented director. The movie is based on the original tv series of four friends going through the trials and tribulations of life. The plot of the movie revolves around the marriage of Noah and his masculine fiance Wade. The movie had plenty of romantic and hot sex scenes that will have you drooling.
Wade is a closeted man while Noah is more refined and open with his sexuality. Also, Noah’s thot best friend Ricky is secretly in love with Noah. The irony is that during the middle of the movie Wade and Ricky kiss each other. Noah becomes upset when he sees this but eventually gets over it. Another turning point is when Noah tells Wade’s mother that Wade. Wade’s mother unexpectedly hops out of a cab and appears at Noah’s and Wade’s wedding. She confronts Wade about being gay and takes a seat at his wedding.
Pariah
I haven’t watched too many LGBTQ movies with lesbian lead characters but I had to add Pariah. It’s about a teenage black lesbian named Alike from Brooklyn. Alike comes from a strict family who is not too supportive of the LGBTQ community. Alike’s mother is very religious and so you can already imagine how she feels about homosexuality. And so, Alike struggles with her sexuality and takes comfort in her lesbian best friend about her sexuality.
Movies’ insight: Can one stop being gay?
There are many life lessons in the movies I’ve discussed. One important insight is that one can not stop being gay. In the movie Moonlight, Chiron had an intimate moment with his childhood friend. Some may have thought that Chiron was just going through a phase and that he might just be confused with his identity. However, after he enters adulthood he has another romantic encounter with that same person. This moment tells us that Chiron still has sexual attractions towards the same sex & gender even though he has hardly has acted upon it.
The idea of how someone can be homosexual has been an argument in science and politics. Theorist David Halperin pointed out that a gay person is not born homosexual. In this book How to be Gay David mentions that certain pop cultures such as pop divas, opera, and Broadway musicals can cause a person’s gender identity. Many other scientists have done different studies on the same sexual behaviors and claimed that genes could not make some gay.
Science usually does give factual information but I personally can not agree with the idea that homosexuality is learned. I wished that I wasn’t gay because I didn’t want to deal with homophobia or rejection. However, no matter how much I tried to unlearn gay culture I couldn’t.
Wrap up
Queer black gay films have come a long way. You’ll find black gay series on Netflix and cable tv depicting black gay and bisexual characters which would have been taboo years ago. During my time growing up I saw black gay characters on tv and in film and even if I did the scenes were very kid-friendly.
