Pride S01: Comprehensive and informative

Image credit: FX / Hulu

The documentary series Pride was created by seven queer filmmakers. The series features a decade in every episode, starting in the 1950s and ending in the 2000s. Since each episode is directed by another person, it accommodates different movie styles and is just as diverse as the community around it. Above all, it is shown by the heartbreaking stories that the need and struggle for recognition and acceptance remains urgent. Because in the United States and in other countries around the world, the existence and rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people remain in question.

All seven filmmakers choose to talk about their decade by highlighting two or three main characters from that era. It’s special and beautiful that almost all of these are characters who have so far received little or no attention in other documentaries. Key figures include attorney Madeleine Trace, activist leader and mastermind behind ‘March on Washington’ Bayard Rustin, author and activist Sean Durochaux, director Barbara Hammer, leading figure and mother to transgender and flawless queen Sabrina, and director Nelson Sullivan., as well as the most famous names Like activist and poet Audrey Lorde and veteran actress Kristen Jorgensen.

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Pride is a journey through history and with personal stories of famous and unknown people, archival photos and audio recordings, it shows a different history that most viewers will not know – but should. He criticizes the mainly white feminist movement of the 1970s and the long exclusion of transgender and intersex people from society. It shows how the struggle for equality and recognition is full of victories and setbacks and how much work remains to be done. But also how transformative activity is in culture, through which policy and legislation can be changed. “Because the revolution must be supported by every generation.” It also shows how intertwined the LGBTQ+ community is with art, culture, and language. BUT: Six episodes of about 40 minutes to tell 70 years of history and to show different perspectives and voices are pretty short and the series sometimes feels a little rushed.

What is special is that Disney, which has a history of heterogeneous stories and censorship of LGBTQ characters, presents the documentary.