The First Gay Film: 'Different From the Others' From 1919

Contents:

• THE FIRST GAY FILM: DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS FROM 1919
• WHAT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE WH AN OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER?
• IN 1919, THE FIRST PRO-GAY MOVIE WAS MA. A YEAR LATER, WAS BANNED.
• THE TRAGIC LSONS OF CEMA’S FIRST GAY LOVE STORY

THE FIRST GAY FILM: DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS FROM 1919

While gay characters were equently ed for lghs or not explicly stated to be queer the earlit mastream Hollywood films, a brief relaxatn Germany's film productn the early 20th century allowed for LGBTQ+ classics like "Different om the Others" and "Mädchen Uniform.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE WH AN OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER?

In Hollywood, the strict Hays Co forba explic pictns of homosexualy film for three s, durg which there was a slew of queer-d villas. Later, the New Queer Cema the 1990s flourished as many pennt filmmakers (many of whom were gay) told fluid, empathetic stori about queer dividuals. The film, which featur an all-Black st, was one big step toward makg gay cema that isn't whewashed, featur a range of inti, and don't make s queer characters one-note or vehicl of sufferg.

The history starts 1894, wh the very first gay film, and ends 2021 wh a mastream children's movie featurg a ma character who is queer.

The German film "Anrs als die Anrn" (English: "Different om the Others") is one of the olst survivg movi wh a gay protagonist and was ma durg a rare perd when German film censorship was relaxed after World War I. It centers on a vlist who tak his life after gettg blackmailed for his sexualy and ends wh an appeal for gay tolerance by German gay rights activist Magn Hirschfeld. Charl Bryant's adaptatn of gay wrer Osr Wil's play of the same name reportedly featured several queer llaborators—namely, bisexual lead actor Alla Nazimova and set signer Natacha Rambova (her mored lover).

IN 1919, THE FIRST PRO-GAY MOVIE WAS MA. A YEAR LATER, WAS BANNED.

In one scene om the 1938 screwball edy "Brgg Up Baby, " the word "gay" was ed a queer ntext for likely the first time (possibly thanks to queer performers' e of "gay" as a slang term). When a woman asks reputedly bisexual actor Cary Grant's character why he's wearg a feathery bathrobe, he rponds, "Bee I jt went gay all of a sudn! Loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murr se, Aled Hchck's "Rope" tells the story of two heavily d gay men who murr one of their classmat for the sheer thrill of .

THE TRAGIC LSONS OF CEMA’S FIRST GAY LOVE STORY

"Victim" opens 1960s London, where a man's ath leads the film's gay ma character (Dirk Bogar) to disver a blackmail scheme agast several gay men. Homosexual relatns between nsentg adults were illegal England and Wal until 1967, makg the film a radil cry agast Brish homophobia.

While "The Children's Hour" is notable for prentg a sympathetic queer ma character a time when that was rare, has also been cricized for rercg the "tragic gay endg" stereotype.

"Portra of Jason" was shot over 12 hours, as experimental filmmaker Shirley Clarke terviewed Jason Holliday, a Black gay sex worker and aspirg baret dancer. Although one uld argue that such a gelg terview procs was exploative, Holliday's mgs about his life, dreams, and art the face of societal anti-Blackns and homophobia provi the kd of tersectnal look at LGBTQ+ inty that '60s media sorely lacked. Produced durg the fal months of the Hays Co, Robert Aldrich's film about the breakdown of an agg lbian TV actor clud a lbian sex scene that broke down a major taboo associated wh the Co's erasure of gay characters on screen.