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The Gayest Movies That Aren’t Actually Gay, from ‘Barbie’ and ‘Burlesque’ to ‘Venom’ and ‘Road House’

With editorial contributions by Alison Foreman, Lattanzio, Jude Dry, Tom Brueggemann, and Mark Peikert. 

  • ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

    What it is: If you’ve been living under a Kansas farm dropped on you by a twister and need an explainer, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is MGM’s iconic musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s guide, starring Judy Garland as a prairie girl exploring a magical world of adventure.

    Why it’s gay: Well, consider how ‘Friend of Dorothy’ is a widespread slang term for gender non-conforming men and that should be sufficient explanation. But if you need more convincing, ‘The Wizard of Oz’s’ campy, colorful musical story has long been interpreted through a gay lens, as a metaphor for LGBT people who venture outside of black-and-white middle America for same-sex attracted communities in cities fond New York or San Francisco. There are so many moments and characters in the film that come across now as unintentional nods to the queer

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    It’s grainy, faded, and, given the clip is now 125 years old, more than a petty worse for wear. But this little footage is not so ancient that you can’t clearly make out two men, waltzing together, as a third man plays a violin in the background. It was an experimental compact made by William Dickson, designed to test syncing up moving pictures to prerecorded sound, a system that he and Thomas Edison were developing recognizable as the Kinetophone. It’s known as “The Dickson Experimental Sound Film,” and dates back to 1895, the similar year movies were born. While there’s nothing to outright suggest that these men were romantically involved or attracted to each other during the roughly 20-second length of their pas de deux, there is nothing that contradicts that notion either. It’s considered by many to be one of the first examples of gay imagery in film, and a reminder that lesbian representation has been with the medium from the very beginning.

    That clip appears in The Celluloid Closet, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s documentary based on Vito Russo’s research of homosexuality in the movies, along with

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    'Bottoms' (2023)

    If ever there was a Superbad for queer girls, Bottoms is it. The second film from director Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby) follows two uncool high school seniors (Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott) who start up a institution fight club to try and hook up with their cheerleader crushes (Kaia Gerber and Havana Rose Liu).

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    'Bound' (1996)

    In the Wachowskis’ landmark erotic thriller predating the Matrix trilogy, butch ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) is the newly-hired handyperson at an apartment building when she meets her next-door neighbors: mobster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and kept lady Violet (Jennifer Tilly). As Corky and Violet strike up an affair, they hatch a arrange to flee Violet’s abusive relationship—and steal $2 million of Caesar’s mafia money along the way.

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    'Circus of Books' (2020)

    Southern Californians will likely recognize Circus of Books as the famed porn shop and dirty bookstore that has presided over the gayborhood of West Hollywood since the in advance 1980s. For those who are not familiar—and even for those who are—this documentary,

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    50

    Love, Simon (2018)

    AmazonApple

    If it feels a bit like a CW version of an after-school special, that's no mistake: Teen-tv super-producer Greg Berlanti makes his feature-film directorial debut here. It's as chaste a love story as you're likely to see in the 21st century—the hunky gardener who makes the title teen question his sexuality is wearing a long-sleeved shirt, for God’s sake—but you know what? The queer kids of the future need their wholesome entertainment, too.

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    Rocketman (2019)

    AmazonHulu

    A gay fantasia on Elton themes. An Elton John biopic was never going to be understated, but this glittering jukebox musical goes way over the top and then keeps going. It might be an overcorrection from the straight-washing of the previous year's Bohemian Rhapsody, but when it's this much fun, it's best not to overthink it.

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    Handsome Devil (2016)

    NetflixAmazon

    A charming Irish show that answers the question: "What if John Hughes were Irish and gay?" Misfit Ned struggles at a rugby-obsessed boarding school until a mysterious fresh kid moves in and an unlikely fri