Databases
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window Academic Video Online delivers more than 67,000 titles spanning a range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. It includes documentaries, films, demonstrations, and other content types.
- Kanopy This link opens in a new window Kanopy is a provider of documentaries, training films, and theatrical releases available as streaming video. Clips from the videos can be embedded in presentations or shown in class. Films in the Boston University Libraries catalog are licensed to Boston University for educational and research use only, for BU students, faculty, and staff.
- BU Libraries Search This link opens in a new window BU Libraries Search provides a single place to search for a wide variety of research material provided by the library. Resources covered by the search includes books and eBooks, journals, scores and sheet music, video and audio recordings, and other physical and electronic items held by the library. Coverage encompasses materials relating to the prehistoric and antique world through to the present.
Featured Films
- Before Stonewall (streaming, Kanopy) BEFORE STONEWALL pries open the closet door--setting free the dramatic story of the sometimes horrifying public and private existences experienced by gay and lesbian Americans since the 1920s. Revealing and often humorous, this widely acclaimed film relives the emotionally-charged sparking of today's gay rights movement, from the events that led to the fevered 1969 riots to many other milestones in the brave fight for acceptance.
- The Lavender Scare (streaming, Academic Video Online) With the United States gripped in the panic of the 1950s Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deems homosexuals to be “security risks” and vows to rid the federal government of all employees discovered to be gay or lesbian. Tens of thousands lose their jobs. But the mass firings have an unintended effect: they stir outrage in the gay community and thrust an unlikely hero into the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement. In addition to illuminating a little-known chapter of
- Political Animals (streaming, Kanopy) POLITICAL ANIMALS tells the story of the civil rights struggle of this century - the gay rights movement - through the eyes of first four members of the LGBT Legislative Caucus: Jackie Goldberg, Christine Kehoe, Sheila Kuehl, and Carole Migden. Emotionally charged like its subjects, the film follows these four ground-breaking lesbians who took the fight for the causes most personal to them and their communities off the streets and into the halls of government.
- The Lavender Scare (streaming, Academic Video Online) With the United States gripped in the panic of the 1950s Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deems homosexuals to be "security risks" and vows to rid the federal government of all employees discovered to be gay or lesbian. Tens of thousands lose their jobs. But the mass firings have an unintended effect: they stir outrage in the gay community and thrust an unlikely hero into the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement. In addition to illuminating a little-known chapter of American history, The Lavender Scare is a timely reminder of the value of vigilance and social action when civil liberties are under attack.
- Sweetheart dancers (streaming, Kanopy) Sweetheart dancers is a story about Sean and Adrian, a Two-Spirit couple determined to rewrite the rules of Native American culture through their participation in the 'Sweetheart Dance.' This celebratory contest is held at powwows across the country, primarily for men and women couples, until now.
- History Lessons (streaming, Academic Video Online) In this wonderfully irreverent yet empowering film, Barbara Hammer traces lesbian history by presenting an extraordinary array of archival footage - and then playfully manipulates it to make it seem as though lesbians were everywhere. From popular films to newsreels, sex ed pics, stag reels, medical and educational films, old nudies and more, History Lessons reclaims and rewrites lesbian history.
- Equality U (streaming, Academic Video Online) quality U is a feature-length documentary following a group of 33 young activists on the Soulforce Equality Ride, a first of its kind, two-month, cross-country tour to confront anti-gay discrimination policies at 19 conservative religious and military colleges.
- Unsettled : seeking refuge in America (streaming, Alexander Street Press) Unsettled is a feature documentary that traces the untold stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers who have fled intense persecution in Africa and the Middle East and are trying to resettle in the United States.
- Who's on Top? (streaming, Academic Video Online) “Who’s on Top?” (narrated by George Takei) is the emotional story of members of the LGBTQ community who challenge stereotypes about gender and sexuality and demonstrate their diverse journeys in overcoming physical and figurative mountains.
- Tongues Untied: Giving a Voice to Black Gay Men (dvd) Marlon Riggs' essay film TONGUES UNTIED gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry, music, performance and Riggs' autobiographical revelations. The film was embraced by black gay audiences for its authentic representation of style, and culture, as well its fierce response to oppression. It opened up opportunities for dialogue among and across communities.
- Fractal : stories across the gender spectrum (streaming, Academic Video Online) Fractal: Stories Across the Gender Spectrum is a collection of 4 Transgender and Gender Queer Documentary Shorts that explores the wide spectrum of experiences often left out of the traditional narrative.
- Coming Out Under Fire (streaming, Academic Video Online) Coming Out Under Fire features nine gay and lesbian veterans who recount how they joined the patriotic war against fascism in the 1940s only to find themselves fighting two battles: one for their country and another for their right to serve. T
- This world. Transgender kids : who knows best? (streaming, Academic Video Online) This World explores the divisive debate over whether children should be free to make permanent changes to their gender. Dr Kenneth Zucker once ran the largest public clinic in Toronto for treating children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: an often violent feeling that the body they were born in does not match their true gender. But then Zucker was fired and his clinic closed down amid comparisons to a religious zealot trying to 'cure' homosexuality.
- American Experience: Stonewall Uprising (streaming, Kanopy) 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. In this 90-minute film, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE draws upon eyewitness accounts and rare archival material to bring this pivotal event to life.
- God Loves Uganda (streaming, Kanopy) In GOD LOVES UGANDA, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence) explores the role of the American Evangelical movement in fueling Uganda's terrifying turn towards biblical law and the proposed death penalty for homosexuality. Thanks to charismatic religious leaders and a well-financed campaign, these draconian new laws and the politicians that peddle them are winning over the Ugandan public. But these dangerous policies and the money that fuels them aren't coming from Africa; they're being imported from some of America's largest megachurches.
- Framing Lesbian Fashion (streaming, Academic Video Online) A landmark 1992 film, Framing Lesbian Fashion looks at the evolution of lesbian attire and identity -butch/femme, flannel, androgyny, cross-dressing and drag, queer fluorescent, S/M and leather, lipstick and more. Featuring interviews with Sally Gearhart, JoAnn Loulan, Arlene Stein, Kitty Tsui and others, Framing Lesbian Fashion incorporates archival photos and personal stories to document the sociology and history of lesbian fashion as it existed in the early 90s, and still impacts the culture today.
- Silent Pioneers: Gay and Lesbian Elders (streaming, Academic Video Online) “Silent Pioneers” is a ground-breaking film about LGBTQ seniors who lived before the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the turning point in gay history that started the lesbian and gay liberation movement. Living in an era when being queer was not tolerated, these pioneers battled for self-esteem and survival in a "straight world,” meeting the usual challenges of aging - the loss of loved ones and their own terminal illnesses - with grace and heart.
- Towards Justice: Reflections on the LGBT Movement (streaming, Academic Video Online) The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement is at a remarkable crossroads. The goal of securing legal equality is within sight, yet significant gaps and challenges remain. This talk addresses both the advances and challenges facing the LGBT movement. What is the difference between advancing legal equality and winning lived equality?
- A State of Emergency: Advocating for Transgender People of Color (streaming, Academic Video) This presentation, featuring Kevin L. Nadal, discusses how to best advocate for transgender people of color.
- You Don't Know Dick: Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men (streaming, Academic Video Online) Simply put, this is the most profound, compelling, and thought-provoking documentary ever made on gender identity. It may also be the most entertaining. It provides extraordinarily honest and riveting portraits of six men who once were women.
- Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-Gay Movement (streaming, Academic Video Online) Again and again we see it in the news: evangelical ministers who preach against homosexuality and scandalizing themselves when their own homosexuality is revealed. Proponents of so-called 'reparative therapy' know it doesn't work. Yet they persist with ever-greater fervor and insist that gay Christians try to change their sexual orientation. Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-Gay Movement profiles the journeys of four gay Christians who did everything possible to become heterosexual by following the 'treatment' protocols of the so-called ex-gay ministries
- Changing sexes. Female to male (streaming, Academic Video Online) Imagine feeling an alien in your own body; a stranger in your skin? This is a compelling medical journey into the transsexual experience and the science behind sex change. This series reveals the remarkable procedures undertaken by courageous patients as they undergo to miraculously change, and even save, their lives.
- Kumu Hina (streaming, Academic Video Online) Imagine a world where a little boy can grow up to be the woman of his dreams, and a young girl can rise to become a leader among men. Welcome to Kumu Hina's Hawai'i.
- Changing our minds the story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker (streaming, Academic Video Online) Academy Award winning director Richard Schmiechen (The Times of Harvey Milk) vividly portrays the life and work of the woman described by the Los Angeles Times as "The Rosa Parks of Gay Rights" in Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker. During the repressive 1950's, Dr. Evelyn Hooker undertook ground breaking research that led to a radical discovery: homosexuals were not, by definition, "sick."
- Becoming more visible (streaming Academic Video Online) Are you Male or Female? For the four fearless young transgender adults featured in the film this is not a simple question. These four defy societal norms to be their true selves and become more visible. No transition is easy, but for some it is easier than for others.
- Transgender Stories (streaming, Academic Video Online) Alex, Andrea, Debra, Elijah, Grady, Katrina, Morgan, Patrick, Safonia, Shawn and Susan Kimberly talk candidly about the challenges they encounter in their daily lives before, during and after transitioning and how in the end they all strive to come to a place of acceptance and fulfillment. These stories transcend the gender binary and illuminate the beauty of gender diversity. These films are sure to give you a new understanding of what it means to identify as transgender, transsexual or gender variant.
- Intersexion (streaming, Academic Video Online) For every two thousand births considered blessed events, one intersex baby is born into a life fraught with challenges. In this binary-gendered world, having ambiguous genitalia or something other than XX-female or XY-male chromosomes brings immense social pressure to choose an either/or gender identity.
- The Trans List (streaming, Academic Video Online) The Trans List explores the range of experiences lived by Americans who identify as transgender (an umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not conform to that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth). No two experiences of trans people are exactly alike. Transgender,”“trans- sexual,”“genderqueer,”“bi-gender,” and “non gender-binary,” are just a few of the multitude of self-identifiers in the trans community.
- I'm Just Anneke (streaming, Kanopy) Anneke is 12. She loves ice hockey and is a hardcore tomboy. Everybody who meets her assumes she's a boy, but she's not sure if she wants to be a girl, a boy, or something in-between when she grows up.
- Rainbow's End (streaming, Academic Video Online) A multinational journey throughout Europe and the world, exploring the future of lesbian, gay, bi and transgender people. From parades and protests in Warsaw and Krakow to personal stories with social, religious and political insights, the film moves from street activism to the United Nations in Geneva.
- The Freedom to Marry (streaming, Academic Video Online) The untold story of the most successful – and perhaps most inspiring – civil rights movement of our time. This is a riveting ride alongside Evan Wolfson, the man known as architect of the movement, and his team as they wage a decades-long battle all the way to the United States Supreme Court, providing fresh perspective on the movement’s history along the way. This is both a primer for social change and a behind-the-scenes look at how regular people can actually make a difference.
- X-Girl (streaming, Academic Video Online) A candid conversation between a mother and her 5 year old daughter concerning lesbians and the need to accept sexual preference and racial differences.
- XXXY (streaming, Academic Video Online) The most frequent question posed to new parents is: "Is it a boy or a girl?" But this question can't be answered in an estimated one out of every 2,000 births. This thought-provoking documentary is the first film to provide an intimate look at the long-term emotional, psychological, and physiological effects of being born "intersex," or with ambiguous genitalia.
- Joella's Journey (streaming, Academic Video Online) This documentary, directed by Gail Taylor, features Joella, a British child born as intersex who is taking steps to becoming a female.
- Queens at Heart (1967) “Queens at Heart” is a rare look at the lives of four trans women and drag ball culture in mid-1960s New York. Thanks to LGBTQ film historian and archivist Jenni Olson’s discovery of this long-obscure film, which was released in 1967, “Queens at Heart” was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in 2009 as part of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project.
See also:
- Outfest UCLA Legacy Project LGBTQ Moving Image Preservation YouTube Channel Outfest UCLA Legacy Project is a collaborative effort bringing together the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Outfest to collect, preserve and showcase LGBTQ moving image media.
