Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Premieres Friday, June 2 at 9pm
Experience the meteoric rise and enduring legacy of Little Richard. This portrait of the “King and Queen of Rock and Roll” explores his far-reaching influence as well as his advocacy for the rights of Black artists in the music industry.
Repeats Thur 6/8, 8pm; Sun 6/11, 11pm
Prideland
Tuesday, June 20 at 9pm
Follow queer actor Dyllón Burnside on a journey to discover how LGBTQ Americans are finding ways to live authentically and with pride in the modern South.
Independent Lens: Mama Bears
Tuesday, June 20 at 10pm
They call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights. Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGTBQ people, these mothers are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to champion their kids—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds.
American Experience: Casa Susanna
Tuesday, June 27 at 8pm
Visit the Catskills hideaway where, in the 1950s and 60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge. A moving look inside a secret world where the persecuted found freedom and acceptance.
Airing on WETA Metro
POV: The Gospel of Eureka
Saturday, June 3 at 8pm
The spotlight is beaming on drag shows and a passion play in an Arkansas town. The Gospel of Eureka takes a personal and often comical look at negotiating differences between religion and belief through performance, political action and partnership. With verve, humor and unfailing compassion, Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher build unexpected bridges between religious faith and sexual orientation.
POV: Pier Kids
Saturday, June 3 at 9:30pm
On the Christopher Street Pier in New York City, homeless queer and trans youth of color forge friendships and chosen families, withstanding tremendous amounts of abuse while working to carve out autonomy and security in their lives. With intimate access to three fearless young persons -- Krystal, Desean and Casper -- Pier Kids highlights the resilience of a community many choose to ignore.
American Masters: Ballerina Boys
Thursday, June 8 at 10pm
Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.
POV: We Are the Radical Monarchs
Saturday, June 10 at 8pm
Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color at the front lines of social justice. Set in Oakland, the film documents the journey of the group as they earn badges for completing units including being an LGBTQ ally, preserving the environment, and disability justice. We follow the two founders as they face the challenge to grow the organization, both pre and post the 2016 election.
Independent Lens: No Straight Lines
Saturday, June 10 at 9:30pm
When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comics artists whose uncensored commentary left no topic untouched and explored art as a tool for social change.
American Experience: Stonewall Uprising
Thursday, June 15 at 8pm
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. That night the street erupted into violent protests and street demonstrations that lasted for the next three days. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Repeats Sun 6/18, 11pm
American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts
Thursday, June 15 at 9:30pm
Joe Papp, founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park and producer of groundbreaking plays like "Hair," "A Chorus Line" and "for colored girls," created a 'theater of inclusion' based on the belief that great art is for everyone.
We’ll Meet Again: Coming Out
Tuesday, June 20 at 10pm
Join Ann Curry as those whose lives were changed by the early days of the gay rights movement reunite. Tom wants to find the childhood friend who urged him to come out, while Paul seeks a fellow student who inspired him to stand up for his beliefs.
POV: Out in the Night
Thursday, June 22 at 8pm
A moving account of four women sensationalized by the media as a "Gang of Killer Lesbians" reveals the role that race, gender identity and sexuality play in our criminal justice system.
Independent Lens: Cured
Saturday, June 24, 9:30pm
When doctors classified homosexuality as a mental illness to be “cured,” they employed cruel treatments like electroshock and lobotomies. LGBTQ+ activists and their allies fought back — and won a momentous victory when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its manual of mental disorders in 1973.
American Masters: James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Thursday, June 29 at 8pm
The life, works and beliefs of the late writer and civil rights activist are recounted: what it is to be born black, impoverished, gifted, and gay in a world that has yet to understand that “all men are brothers.” James Baldwin tells his own story in this emotional portrait.
American Masters: Keith Haring: Street Art Boy
Thursday, June 29 at 9:30pm
Explore the definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring who blazed a trail through the art scene of ‘80s New York and revolutionized the worlds of pop culture and fine art. The film features previously unheard interviews with Haring.