June marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and is known as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Have meaningful conversations at home about LGBTQ topics by engaging in Pride Month activities.
California mom Mary Shinn says she uses the fact that she works at a school to open up a dialogue with her son about discrimination against LGBTQ kids. “I work in the school system but not the one my son attends,” she told Mom.com. “I will start with sharing something going on in my building, such as bullying a child, and ask if anything like that has happened in his high school.”
Films are another great way to start conversations in the house. Paul Andrés Trudel-Payne from The Dada Diary told Mom.com, “I like to recommend films that can make a child feel included by identifying with the main character or experience, while also letting parents, family members, and allies get a realistic idea of what this child might be going through or has gone through.”
Here are 16 of the best family movies to celebrate Pride Month with the kids:
Movies on the serious side
'Unpregnant'
'The Old Guard'
An action film with a queer twist. A group of immortal warriors fights to change the world in good ways, fighting evil. As the warriors fight their causes, we see the leader, Andy reminisce about a deep connection she had with a woman. The movie gives the feeling that Andy is transgender; at the same time, there is a male-male relationship between Joe and Nicky, two soldiers from two different eras who stay together for several hundred years.
'Love, Simon'
A 2018 coming of age movie that captures both the humor and difficulty of being a gay teenager. This is a film about falling in love but, in order to do so, you must fall in love with all of yourself first. What’s poignant about this movie is the moment that Simon shares being gay with his parents, who choose to love their son rather than admonish him in any way.
'The Kids Are All Right'
This film tells the story of two women who have raised their children, who are now teenagers, in a two-mom household. The children find their biological father, who becomes a figure in their lives and becomes romantically involved with one of their moms. This 2010 tale gives an honest depiction of the complexities of raising children as a same-sex couple that, in the end, gives viewers insight into the beauty of loving your children no matter what the family dynamic is.
'Breakfast With Scot'
This is the story of a closeted retired hockey player turned sportscaster who suddenly becomes the guardian of his nephew. This film tackles the challenges of keeping your true self a secret to the world, the fear involved, and ultimately, learning to love yourself so much that none of it matters. It was believed to be the first time a professional sports league and team — the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs — allowed their names to be used in a film that centered around the topic of homosexuality.
Documentaries
'Flee'
This is an animated documentary about a man, Amin Nawabi, who flees Afghanistan and goes to Denmark to start a new life. It reflects on Nawabi’s painful past as he prepares to marry his soon-to-be-husband. It gives a telling account of the problems with being gay in a culture where it is explicitly forbidden.
'A Secret Love'
This 2020 documentary shows the strides made in the LGBTQ+ community over the past 50 years through the eyes of two women who have been together since they met in the 1940s during the war. For decades, they kept their love a secret, telling others that they were cousins rather than a couple. The couple experiences difficulties in coming out later in life, but their relationship remains triumphant.
