As we close out LGBTQ History Month, I want to highlight some documentaries that look at the history of LGBTQ parents and our children and are available for streaming—several for free! Watch trailers, and in some cases, whole films, below.
These are far from the only documentaries about LGBTQ families (see my database for a few more), but they’re ones that both offer a historical perspective and are available to stream. They’re fascinating viewing at any time of year. As with all things historical, they may use language and show attitudes that have since changed. Their inclusion here is not an endorsement of such attitudes or terms.
A Family of My Own: The Bill Jones Story
A Family of My Own: The Bill Jones Story (2014), by Steve Jacobson, uses interviews with Jones, his friends, and family to tell the story of how in 1968 Jones became one of the first single men—and gay men—to adopt a child in the U.S. Watch it free and in full below. (Content warning: Jones’ son died at age 30 of a drug overdose.) (Don’t be put off by the YouTube gray screen; the video should still play.)
If She Grows Up Gay
If She Grows Up Gay (1983), by Karen (Sloe) Goodman, is a 22-minute documentary short about a young, working-class mother, her two-year-old daughter, and her partner. Watch it in full right here:
Choosing Children
Choosing Children (1985), by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Debra Chasnoff and her then-partner Kim Klausner, was the first documentary to look at lesbians who became parents after coming out. It offers a snapshot of lesbian life in the early 1980s, a crucial turning point in LGBTQ family history. The six lesbian families profiled in the film had their children through known donors, unknown donors, and adoption. Here’s a longer piece I wrote about it. Stream it on Kanopy, which you can access free of charge via many public libraries. Trailer:
Both of My Moms’ Names Are Judy
Both of My Moms’ Names Are Judy (1994), by Camomile Bartman, is a documentary short featuring interviews with children of lesbian and gay parents. Watch it free and in full here:
Our House
Our House (2000), by Meema Spadola, profiles children in five families, diverse in racial/ethnic and religious origins, all with gay or lesbian parents. Stream it on Vimeo or Amazon Prime Video. Trailer:
Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement
Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement (2006), by Jody Laine, Shan Ottey, and Shad Reinstein, gives us a look at several early custody cases involving lesbian moms—and shows how the activism they spawned has had a direct impact on LGBTQ people and organizations today. Here’s my longer piece on it. Stream it on Kanopy, which you can access free of charge via many public libraries, or for a few dollars via Vimeo. Trailer:
Nuclear Family
Nuclear Family (2021), a three-part documentary by Ry Russo-Young, zooms in on one family and what happened when her sperm donor sued her two moms for paternity and visitation rights in 1991, precipitating a landmark four-year court battle that indelibly marked 9-year-old Ry and her 11-year-old sister Cade. Nuclear Family is a portrait of one family, but also reminds us how much positive change there has been for queer families over the past four decades—and why we need to keep addressing the inequalities that remain. Stream it on HBO Max, Hulu, or YouTube TV. Trailer:
Daddy & Papa
Daddy & Papa (2002), directed by Johnny Symons, is an Emmy & Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated, one-hour documentary exploring the personal, cultural, and political impact of gay men who are making a decision that is at once traditional and revolutionary—particularly in the era of the film: to raise children themselves. Find streaming and purchase options at the director’s website. Trailer:
Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort (2001), by Kate Davis, chronicles the final year in the life of Robert Eads, a transgender woman. Eads, diagnosed with ovarian cancer, was turned down for treatment by two dozen doctors out of fear that treating such a patient would hurt their reputations. By the time Eads received treatment, the cancer was too advanced to save his life. The 2001 film feels dated in parts, but looks fairly sympathetically at the trans community that surrounds Eads, as well as his relationship with his parents, his son (who struggles to gender him correctly), and his grandson, who only knows him as “papaw.” Watch it free (with ads) on Tubi. (No trailer.)
Myth of Father
Myth of Father (2003), by director Paul Hill, is a profile of his father, Jodie, a transgender woman. Having been estranged from Hill for years, she came out to him as a woman, prompting Hill to start a journey of discovery. While parts of this 2003 film seem dated now, it deftly contrasts Paul’s relationship to his father with the relationship of his father and her own dad. Stream it for a few dollars via Prime Video or Vimeo. Trailer:
We Are Dad
We Are Dad (2005), by Michel Horvat, is the story of Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau, a gay couple who are pediatric AIDS nurses and become foster parents to infants who were HIV positive. They decide to challenge the State of Florida’s law banning adoption by gay people. Stream it on Prime Video. Trailer:
Queer Spawn
Queer Spawn (2005), a documentary by Anna Boluda, shows the lives of several teenagers with two dads or two moms. Stream free and in full here:
Fatherhood Dreams
Fatherhood Dreams (2007), by Julia Ivanova, profiles several Canadian gay dads who started their families in various ways: surrogacy, co-parenting, and adoption. It also explores what the general population thought about gay families at the time. Stream it on Kanopy, which you can access free of charge via many public libraries, or for just a few dollars on Vimeo. Trailer:
In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents
In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents (2008), is an award-winning short film by Jennifer Gilomen, from COLAGE. Watch it free and in full here:
Transgender Parents
Transgender Parents (2014), directed by Rémy Huberdeau, shares the struggles and strengths of several trans women and trans men navigating different stages of parenting: from pregnancy, through raising infants, toddlers and teenagers. It feels a little more like a contemporary (or near contemporary) look at queer families than a historical one, but it also looks at how its subjects are openly out in the world as trans people and as parents in ways that weren’t possible several decades ago, so there is a historical aspect to it. Stream for a few dollars at Vimeo. Trailer:
Mama Gloria
Mama Gloria (2020), by Luchina Fisher, tells of the life of the 75-year-old transgender activist Mama Gloria (Gloria Allen). It’s “the story of a mother’s love—the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children. Stream it free on PBS. Trailer:
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