Dive into queer culture this IDAHOBIT Day

Every year around the world, 17 May is commemorated as “International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination” aka IDAHOBIT Day. This day is the anniversary of the day that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases in 1990.

The goal of the day is to educate, spread awareness and get involved in and with the queer community. At Queer Screen, we’ve put together a list of documentaries about the LGBTIQ+ community to watch this IDAHOBIT Day.

Disclosure

In this documentary, leading trans creatives and thinkers share heartfelt perspectives and analysis about Hollywood’s impact on the trans community. Watch now on Netflix.

Paris is Burning

Full of iconic quotes that have shaped the queer lexicon, Jennie Livingston’s seminal documentary captures the ballroom scene of 1980s New York in all its vivacious joy and heartbreaking precarity. Carved out of sequins and solidarity, its safe havens are where fantasies become gloriously real. Watch this important documentary on Mubi.

The Celluloid Closet

The acclaimed documentary based on Vito Russo’s groundbreaking book, this documentary explores the hidden subtext of more than 100 Hollywood movies – from The Maltese Falcon to Spartacus and Rebel Without A Cause to Thelma and Louise and Philadelphia. Not available for streaming, but you can track down a DVD online easily and have a retro night in.

We Were Here

A deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis. Watch it on DocPlay.

Gayby Baby

Four kids, who happen to have same-sex parents, navigate personal changes while the world debates same-sex marriage and if children with gay parents face risks. Watch it free on ABC iView.

Rebel Dykes

A rabble-rousing documentary set in 1980s post-punk London. This is an extraordinary glimpse into a bygone world by those who not only lived out their politics with heartfelt conviction but lived to tell the tale. Watch is on Vimeo.