Old hbo movie gay teens go to conversion camp

For every queer film, there are probably over straight counterparts of it. The scarcity of worthwhile queer films means that the few they give us need to be celebrated and talked about. Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, Booksmartis a coming-of-age story about two goodie-two-shoes best friends who decide to let it all go before high school graduation, finding love, friendship, and fun in the process.

Queer icon Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever star as the main duo and experience teen mayhem, queer awakenings, and oh so much more in this wonderful comedy. Few documentaries offer such an important snapshot of a moment in queer life like Paris Is Burning. Filmed during the late '80s, the film captures the Black and brown queer people who ran the New York ballroom scene and the legacy they left behind.

A story about family, community, and vogue, few works document a culture-defining era like this. This film is mandatory viewing for those who wish to understand the queer community and the Black and brown people who helped create it. Based on the real-life story of a year-old British teen who dreams of becoming a drag queen, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is a musical about being yourself.

A fun film about choosing to be yourself amidst the bullying, this uplifting musical is gay as all hell with a wonderful message. This drama from director Dee Rees not only established her as a filmmaking force, but as the creator of a queer classic. Pariah is the coming-of-age story about Lee, a year-old Black teen who is struggling with her identity as a lesbian.

A heart-wrenching story about a teen trying to find themself, this film will stick with you for a long time to come. Few indie films from the '90s have stayed as golden for the queers as But I'm a Cheerleader. A coming-of-age satire about a girl sent to a conversion therapy camp, this film starring Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, and RuPaul has stuck around for good reason.

The film initially was a flop, but has since become a cult classic, remaining one of the best queer movies ever. The film is free to watch on YouTube. Teen movies have often been one of the few places to see queer stories regularly, with The Half of It standing out among the crowd.

Directed by Alice Wu, this film tells the story of Ellie Chu, a teen who makes money doing other kids' homework, and soon makes money writing love letters to her crush for somebody else. A beautiful story about young love and what it means to be yourself, this film will make your heart soar.

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This film takes a lot of more modern queer stereotypes like belittling a queer person as a GBF and turns them on their head with a fun and smart comedy. The first queer film by a major film studio, Love, Simon stands out as a fun and heart-warming queer adventure. The film focuses on Simon, who is juggling finding out who his secret crush really is while trying to keep from being outed by a blackmailer.

When you think about the most iconic teen movies, queer people are often left out, making this teen story even more important. It doesn't break the mold for teen movies, but does establish a new one entirely. When year-old Russell realizes he's more into his football teammate than the girl everyone thinks he had sex with, he finds a club of other queer kids trying to figure themselves out, too.

Few teen movies offer room for queer people to grow or be themselves, which makes Geography Club a delight. Based on an award-winning short film, The Way He Looks is one of the best young love stories of the past decade. Blind teen Leonardo is struggling to find himself as he grows older, then new kid Gabriel comes to throw a wrench into his life and heart.

Queer representation on film and television inform society more than you think, as wonderfully shown by Disclosure, a documentary by Sam Feder about trans representation and its repercussions. The film looks at the real life effects of harmful and inaccurate transgender representation over the years in Hollywood with commentary from the trans people it affects.