By Jan Wahl–
Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Without gays and lesbians, there would be no Hollywood.” She was right, and that reality continues on, not just because she was a great actress in explosive films like Suddenly, Last Summer and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. But Taylor championed HIV/AIDS causes and everything else connected to the gay community early on. Her friends, Montgomery Clift, Elton John, and Roddy McDowall, were just a small part of the world that joined her in support of the LGBTQ+ community and tackled homophobia, risking her own reputation. “There is no gay agenda, there’s a human agenda,” she famously explained.
Three years after Taylor passed in 2011, one of my favorite LGBTQ movies was released. It is not well known, but I highly recommend it: 2014’s Pride. It takes place in 1984, and concerns London-based gay activists who lent their support to striking miners in Wales. This drives the Margaret Thatcher government, the police, and the conservative press crazy. It stars two of my favorite actors, Bill Nighy and Dominic West.
Another film, unknown but fabulous, is Jeffrey. It’s a 1995 romantic comedy about the quest for love and intimacy in the age of AIDS. One of my favorite writers, Paul Rudnick, wrote the screenplay. I follow everything he has ever done, including In & Out and Sister Act.
Brokeback Mountain is more well-known and fills us with unconditional love. I was working in television when I saw it, and I got all kinds of weird mail telling me, “Cowboys are not gay.” I always felt like telling them, “Really, honey, what ranch were you on?!”
Carol is a 2015 historical drama based on a romance novel by the great Patricia Highsmith. The story is about a forbidden affair between an aspiring photographer and an older woman going through a divorce. Themes of identity and personal freedom, as well as lesbian rights to live out loud and proud, make this film special. Its visual style, with its muted color palette and exquisite production design, immerses viewers in the period. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara add to its reality.
Happier times are spent with To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, The Birdcage, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hairspray, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
I could go on, but let’s finally salute some actors working today who have come out and made our lives better: Cynthia Nixon, Jodie Foster, Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Fry, and Sir Ian McKellen. Sir Ian was on television with me live, on the 6 o’clock news. His publicist had been very nervous and didn’t want me to ask any questions about Sir Ian being gay. Naturally, I asked him, “It must have been very exciting to be with the Queen of England?” And he said before God and the world, “Yep, an old queen knighted an old queen!”
So, the end is happy Pride, everyone!
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com
Off the Wahl
Published on June 26, 2025
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