The 10 best LGBT movies on Netflix you can stream right now

Although LGBT cinema used to be a really tough thing to create due to social stigmas, times have changed. Now, LGBT films win prestigious awards, get major theatrical distribution, and attract A-list stars. With that in mind, you might be wondering what the best LGBT movies on Netflix are, and we’ve got you covered!

Read more: Best Netflix originals

Below, you’ll find our roundup of the ten best LGBT movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now. We tried to keep things varied — there are comedies, documentaries, dramas, thrillers, and more included in our list. Essentially, there’s something here for everyone!

As usual, you can click the link under the summary of any one of these ten best LGBT movies on Netflix and get straight to watching it. However, if you don’t yet have a Netflix subscription, you’ll need one to check out any of these films. Just click the button below to sign up!

The ten best LGBT movies on Netflix:

Editor’s note: We will update our list of the best LGBT movies on Netflix regularly as the service rotates its movie library.

The Boys In The Band

Starting off this list is The Boys In The Band. This 2020 Netflix original movie is based on the classic 1969 Tony Award-winning play. Seven men gather at a New York City apartment to celebrate the birthdate of one of their own. Most of the men are gay, but some are still closeted, and the gathering quickly turns serious as they play a “party game” that shows some of the men’s true feelings towards each other. The cast includes  Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, and Andrew Rannells.

I Am Divine

This documentary centers on the legendary drag queen Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead. He became a favorite of film director John Hughes, who cast him in a number of his movies, including the classic Hairspray. The documentary goes into the life of Divine, and how he helped make drag queens into mainstream entertainers.

The Danish Girl

This 2015 period drama also swept some major awards after its release, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Alicia Vikander. The Danish Girl did also receive some negative press for its very loose interpretation of historical events, but it’s still one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix right now.

In the film, Eddie Redmayne portrays Einar Wegener, a Danish painter married to another painter, Gerda Wegener (Vikander). One day, Gerda asks her husband to stand in for a female model she was planning on painting. Einar dresses in women’s clothing for the pose and finds that it awakens in him his suppressed gender identity as a woman. However, it being the 1920s hinders Einar — now going by Lili — to live the way she wants.

As stated earlier, the film is based on a true story but plays very loose with history. Still, the film is well-directed and beautifully acted by its leads and worth checking out.

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

On this list of LGBT movies on Netflix, Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen is the most recent, debuting in June 2020. However, the documentary film caused a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival in January with Netflix picking it up as an exclusive shortly afterward.

The documentary’s title gives away exactly what it’s about. It examines the history of Hollywood’s representation of trans people in films and television with personal stories from prominent trans actors and personalities. The film’s overarching theme is how trans representation on film matters, as those performances have an effect on how American culture perceives trans people overall.

Some of the actors and performers who contribute to Disclosure are Laverne Cox (prominent cast member of Orange is the New Black), Chaz Bono (son of Sonny Bono and Cher), and Lilly Wachowski (co-director of The Matrix), among many others.

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen is not only one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix, but it’s also one of the most important. Don’t miss it! 

Duck Butter

The 2018 comedy-drama film Duck Butter asks an interesting question: is it possible to cram months of relationship building into one 24-hour period? That’s exactly what the two women in Duck Butter try to find out.

After meeting at a club, Naima and Sergio quickly hook up. They decide to spend the next 24 hours having sex on the hour every hour and then discuss their lives, traumas, baggage, and other intimate details in between each bout in the bedroom. The theory is that, at the end of the day, they will have grown closer in 24 hours than most people do in months.

You’ll need to watch the film to find out how it all unfolds, but there’s plenty of funny situations — as well as some painful ones — that happen along the way. It may not be for everyone, but this is one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix right now.

Elisa & Marcela

This 2019 Spanish biographical drama film tells the story of the first recorded same-sex marriage in Spain. Real-life women Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas posed as a heterosexual couple in order to marry at a church in 1901.

Shot in black-and-white, Elisa & Marcela is a beautiful and lush film that fully centers on its two lead actresses. Directed by a woman, the film doesn’t get trapped in too many of the “male gaze” clichés you often find in lesbian relationships depicted on screen.

Unfortunately, the film does exhibit some filmmaking clichés, becoming a bit cringeworthy at a few points. However, it is still one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix and worth a watch!

I Am Jonas

On Netflix, this 2018 film is titled I Am Jonas. However, its original title was Boys which was then changed to just Jonas. Whatever you want to call it, I Am Jonas is a terrific film, and one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix right now.

The film jumps between two different time periods in lead character Jonas’ life: in 1997 when he is 15 years old and first experiencing love with a bad boy at school, and 18 years later when he is in his thirties and unable to escape the mistakes of his past.

Although the film itself is good, it’s elevated by a brilliant performance from Tommy-Lee Baïk, who portrays the bad boy with whom Jonas is immediately smitten. As charming as he is scary, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him as the plot unfolds.

The Half Of It

Netflix has a lot of teen romantic comedies, but this 2020 entry stands out from the rest. It centers on a teenage girl named Ellie who tries to help her male friend court a popular girl in school. However, things get interesting when Ellie realizes she actually likes this popular girl as well.  It shows how innocent teenage love can go in very different directions. It’s one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix.

The Perfection

Heads up: the movie The Perfection is one of the best LGBT movies on Netflix right now, but it’s also the craziest. The movie defies categorization. Is it a horror film? A thriller? A romance? A revenge film? It’s probably all of that mixed together into one absolutely insane movie.

The less you know about The Perfection going in, the better, but we’ll give you a quick synopsis. Charlotte is a young cellist who is forced to leave a prestigious music school to care for her sick mother. After her mother’s death, she returns to the school to help the teachers select a new student. While there, she meets the woman who replaced her when she left, another cellist named Lizzie.

That’s where we’re going to stop because what happens after that is just…nuts. This movie has more unexpected plot twists than you might be able to handle, so head in without any expectations and just try to enjoy the ride.

The Girl King

This movie tells the true story of Queen Kristina of Sweden, who became the leader of her country at the age of six in 1632. In addition to leading her country at such a young age, Queen Kristina starts to fall in love with a woman as she gets older. It’s a look at how LGBT  relationships were handled by a highly conservative nation.

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few more movies that didn’t make our list of the best LGBT movies on Netflix.

• Alex Strangelove – A teenage boy who is in love with a girl in school then realizes he has feelings for a boy as well in this teen comedy.
• A Perfect Ending – A housewife starts to explore her sexuality by hiring a call girl in this drama.
• I Care a Lot – Rosamund Pike plays a woman who, with the help of her girlfriend, becomes the legal guardian of many senior citizens to get hold of their money.
• The Prom – This adaptation of the acclaimed musical has an all-star cast, who play Broadway performers who try to help a teenager take her girlfriend to her high school prom.
• All In My Family – This short documentary centers on a traditional Chinese family who slowly grow to accept their gay son.

That’s all we’ve got for the best LGBT movies on Netflix! Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often as we will update it with new titles as they become available.