Pride Month

Books:

: Christopher and His Kind, Christopher Isherwood
: The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst
: Call Me By Your Name, Andre Aciman 
: Story of the Night, Colm Toibin 

Films:

: Milk, Gus Van Sant
: My Beautiful Laundrette, Stephen Frears
: Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Abdellatif Kechiche
: Mulholland Dr.,David Lynch
: Beautiful Thing, Hettie Macdonald
: Weekend, Andrew Haigh
: A Single Man, Tom Ford
: My Own Private Idaho, Gus van Sant
: Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
: God’s Own Country, Francis Lee
: The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos
: 120 Beats per Minute, Robin Campillo

Documentaries:

: Paris is Burning, Jennie Livingston
: Gayby Baby, Maya Newell
: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, David France 
: How to Survive a Plague, David France 

‘It's like crossing into the looking glass in Wonderland. You go in there and you feel, you feel 100% right of being gay.’

QTIBIPOC Artists and Influencers to Follow:

: Travis Alabanza is a performer, writer and theatre maker. In the last two years through their performance, social activism, writing and distinct style they have cemented themselves as one of the most prominent artistic trans voices, performing at venues such as The Tate, Roundhouse, Harvard University & having their work across mediums and form. A recent recipient of the Gay Times Future Honours awards, Alabanza’s also increased trans representation in theatre, with a critically praised lead role in ‘Jubilee’ at the Royal Exchange and Lyric Hammersmith.  More recently, they created a sell-out, show titled Burgerz, which put a microscope on gender, and the transphobia that Travis and many other transgender people experience. Burgerz was voted by Guardian readers as one of the best theatre show’s of 2018. Follow Alabanza on Instagram here.
 

: Jacob Tobia first made their debut when they were interviewed by Laverne Cox on MTV's documentary about the lives of transgender people, The T Word. Identifying as genderqueer, they are a comedian, actor, writer, and producer and author of the recent memoir, Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story, where they talk about what it was like growing up in a binary world as a person who is outside of the gender binary. They've talked about the importance of equality with former U.S. presidents, filmed a video talking about radical affirmations for Lady Gaga's Born This Way foundation, and appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah where they talked about the idea of being "gender chill." Follow them on Instagram at @jacobtobia for incredibly slick outfits, book updates, and interviews.

 
: Munroe Bergdorf uses her profile to advocate and empower individuals to fight for positive change. She was the first transgender model to be selected to take part in a national beauty campaign, but was (unfairly) dropped when her views on systemic racism were taken out of context in the press. Munroe regularly appears on national and international television news to comment on race, diversity, gender and LGBTQ+ topics and writes for publications including Grazia, i-D, them .us, Paper Magazine, The Evening Standard, and the Guardian. Soon after scooping up ‘Changemaker of the Year’ at the 2018 Cosmopolitan Awards, Munroe’s first documentary What Makes A Woman exploring the changing world of gender and identity premiered on Channel 4 in May 2018. Follow her on Instagram here. 

: Last month, Jari Jones broke ground as the first black trans woman to produce a film nominated at Cannes Film Festival. The film, “Port Authority,” centers around the New York ballroom scene, an underground haven where queer people of color compete through posing and vogueing (a dance move made even more famous by Madonna’s hit song). Jari delivered as an actress, script consultant, acting coach, and producer. Her Instagram is both a celebration of her creative work and an outlet for her activism.

: Alok V Menon is an artist and ‘fashionista’ who identifies as a transfeminine and gender non-conforming individual. Alok dabbles in various mediums including writing, performance art, and public speaking. Through their vibrant page, Alok uniquely expresses themselves with bold clothing, bright makeup, and creative hair—including body hair. The influencer is passionate about combatting gender norms and experiments with both masculine and feminine aesthetics. They create a look that is unique to them and inspiring to others. Find out more about Alok here. 

Podcasts:

: Making Gay History, Eric Marcus 
: Surrogacy: A Family Frontier, Dustin Lance Black 
: Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, JVN
: Homo Sapiens, Will Young, Chris Sweeney and Alan Cummings 
: Queery, Cameron Esposito 

‘When I say trans, I also mean escape. I mean choice.’