On TV: LGBTQ Pride Month — June 2021

KQED is proud to celebrate LGBTQ  Pride Month  starting in June with a special TV programming lineup. Premiere dates are listed below. 

KQED 9

Wed, 6/2
11pm Patient No More
Queer women are not statistically "safe," but there are medical spaces that have been crafted so that they can be treated with the same dignity as any other patient. Patient No More explores the barriers LGBTQ+ women navigate across health care systems, and how the never-ending hunt for affirming care affects their lives.

Thurs, 6/3
9:30pm Man in An Orange Shirt on Masterpiece
Two love stories, 60 years apart, chart the changes and challenges in gay lives in England-from the era of jail terms to the onset of dating apps. 

Fri, 6/4
8pm Out in Rural America (NEW)
A film that explores the struggles and joys of being lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and genderqueer in rural America. Following five stories from the LGBTQ+ community over six years, Out in Rural America explores the issues of self-doubt, discrimination, acceptance, and small-town and Midwestern LGBTQ+ life from a cultural, social, familial, and religious perspective.

9pm American Masters: Ballerina Boys (NEW)
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.

10pm Holly Near: American Masters
An outspoken political activist and singer-songwriter, Holly Near’s music and life story illustrate how song can have the power to send a clarion call and influence the course of social justice – from the lesbian and women’s movements to anti-war efforts and the fight to give South American women a voice.

Sat, 6/5
9:30pm Melissa Etheridge: This Is M.E. Live In LA
Join the American rock icon and her band as they perform on the final night of her 2014 national tour at the historic Orpheum in Los Angeles. The set includes songs from her This is M.E. album as well as many of her classic hits.

11:30pm Unforgettable Augustus Post
In the early 20th century, thrill-seeking adventurer Augustus Post helped steer America through a revolution in transportation. He bought the first motor car in New York City, became the 13th man to fly an airplane in the U.S., and once held the world distance record in an air balloon – ushering in a new world in which anyone could be an explorer. The Unforgettable Augustus Post tells the story of Post’s life as a tale of imagination, spectacle and discovery, employing animation and radio broadcast re-enactments.

Sat, 6/19
10pm Terrence McNally: American Masters
Explore four-time Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally’s six groundbreaking decades in theater, from Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class to Ragtime, The Visit and Mothers and Sons. The film also delves into McNally’s pursuit of love and inspiration throughout his career, LGBTQ activism, triumph over addiction, and the power of the arts to transform society.

Mon, 6/21
11pm AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange “Mama Gloria” (NEW)
Mama Gloria is a feature documentary about Gloria Allen, a 75-year-old Black trailblazing transgender activist who started a charm school for homeless trans youth and is now aging with joy and grace. It is the story of a mother’s love – the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children.

Wed, 6/23
11pm Two-Spirit Powwow
Two-Spirit Powwow shows how the San Francisco nonprofit Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) has hosted an annual queer-friendly powwow since 2012, the first and largest LGBTQI-hosted one of its kind in North America. The film tracks growth from the modest one-room inaugural dance to the huge events now conducted at a massive venue. Staff works long hours to provide a warm welcome to native and ally visitors from around the country. When traditional conservative powwow protocol conflicts with queer-positive identity, the two-spirit powwow changes up the rules. For LGBTQ natives still facing prejudice and stigmatization at home, just attending the powwow is a pioneering act of resistance. But when they arrive, some are surprised to find a welcoming community, great drumming and dancing, and a lot of fun.

11:30pm Penny: Champion of the Marginalized 
"Penny" is a multi-dimensional portrait of Penny Cooper, a celebrated criminal defense attorney, art collector, supporter of female artists, and protector of the underdog. Cooper's life brims with stories mirroring the profound changes in our country from the 1940s to the present. In this revealing documentary, Cooper proves herself quite the raconteur with seemingly unlimited anecdotes. Her stories are engaging; sometimes funny, and sometimes distressing.

Thurs, 6/24
11pm Murder In Montrose: The Paul Broussard Legacy (NEW)
Paul Broussard, a 27-year-old gay man, was murdered on the streets of Houston in 1991—sparking a deafening outcry. The crime was as a wake-up call to the harassment experienced by the LGBTQ community. This documentary explores the aftermath of this pivotal event: civil unrest, hate crime legislation, victim’s rights, and political activism.

Fri, 6/25
8pm The Lavender Scare
Learn the untold story of how tens of thousands of homosexual federal workers were either fired or denied employment in the 1950s, stirring outrage in the gay community and starting an LGBTQ rights movement with an unlikely hero at the forefront.

10:30pm Considering Matthew Shepard
In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured, and left to die. Twenty years later his legacy is remembered in a unique production that uses music, poetry and interviews and to explore a pivotal time in our history. When a hate crime is committed, what does it mean to be a victim, a parent, a community member, a perpetrator? How do we learn to be compassionate and find hope in hopeless situations? As a response to this hate crime, Matthew's story is placed into the context of a passion story presented as a three-part oratorio, bringing new depth to a harrowing story of loss and highlighting the role of art and how we react to tragedy

Sat, 6/26
8pm Saturday Night Movie: The Birdcage
A gay cabaret owner (Robin Williams) and his drag queen companion (Nathan Lane)  agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancee's right-wing moralistic parents.

10pm Prideland
Follow queer actor Dyllon Burnside on a journey across the South to meet diverse members of the LGBTQ community. From a lesbian rodeo champ in Texas to an African American mayor ally in Alabama, he discovers how LGBTQ Americans are finding ways to live authentically and with Pride in the modern South.

Sun, 6/27
7pm Expect a Miracle
This film is the dual story of the AIDS crisis in San Diego and Fraternity House - the only hospice in San Diego County that took patients near death to give them a safe place to die with dignity and love. The riveting film centers on a handful of everyday people who became heroes, caring for a marginalized and persecuted population in a time of heightened fear, misinformation and mass rejection from their families, society and the government.

Mon, 6/28
11:30pm Becoming Johanna (NEW)
When Johanna, a 16-year-old transgender Latina, begins her transition and gets kicked out of her home and school, she finds a foster family who loves her and a supportive school principal who helps her graduate and thrive.

Wed, 6/30
11pm Coming Out: A 50 Year History
Narrated by transgender teen Jazz Jennings (star of TLC's reality TV series I am Jazz), Coming Out: A 50 Year History features several Bay Area high school and college students interviewing older LGBTQ people who "came out" in different historical eras from the 1950s until today.

KQED PLUS

Tues, 6/1
3pm Pacific Heartbeat: Born This Way: Awa's Story and the Rogers 
Born This Way: Awaʻs Story - In New Zealand, Te Awarangi 'Awa' Puna is an openly transgender Maori teen attending her final year at Kapiti College in Wellington, New Zealand. This documentary follows her journey from male to female as we see the support of her family and the hurdles she must overcome. The Rogers - An intimate glimpse into the lives of those who formed the first visible group of transgender men in the Pacific Islands - The Rogers of Samoa - as they build an outside oven, seek romance, and prepare to perform a traditional men's dance in public. While still facing many obstacles, their stories illustrate the power that come when those rejected by society create their own community.

Fri, 6/4
3pm Reel South: Outspoken
LGBTQ West Virginians fight to live free from discrimination, calling us to reimagine the power and longevity of a small town queer community.

11:30pm POV Shorts: Post - Colonial Queer
Films about the LGBTQ experience around the world. Reluctantly Queer: a young gay man from Ghana struggles to reconcile his love for his mother with his sexuality through a series of letters in this deceptively simple yet powerful piece. Clash: a short experimental documentary critiquing the lack of diversity in on-screen representation in Britain today. Muxes: in the indigenous communities around the town of Juchitan, the world is not divided simply into males and females. The local Zapotec people have made room for a third category, which they call “muxes.”

Mon, 6/7 
11:30pm The Committee
A documentary film about the little-known Florida Legislative Investigative Committee of the State Legislature from 1956-1965. Florida Senator Charley Johns chaired the committee, and its aim was to root out communist and homosexual teachers and students from state universities. It was successful in either firing or expelling more than 200 suspected gay and lesbian citizens. The film features two North Florida survivors (Rev. Ruth Jensen-Forbell and Chuck Woods) and one interrogator (John Tileston) who have never before spoken publicly about their experiences without anonymity. It culminates in a 50-year reunion between survivor and interrogator.

Sun, 6/27
9pm We’ll Meet Again: Coming Out
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.

KQED WORLD

Tues, 6/15
5pm America ReFramed: Little Miss Westie
A loving and insightful portrait of two transgender siblings - Luca and Ren - and their parents, set in the changing social climate following the 2016 presidential election. “Little Miss Westie” takes audiences behind the scenes as the family navigates puberty, school, dating and more as the children begin living in their authentic genders and Ren participates in the Lil' Miss Westie Pageant

Fri, 6/18
4pm Stonewall Uprising: American Experience
When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

Mon, 6/21
6:30pm Stories From the Stage: Pride
Palestinian Muslim Eman El-Husseini comes out to her parents and finds in comedy the best tool to defy cultural stereotypes; April Hartford shares the relief and redemption of living an authentic self; and Jay Vilar comes out to his family and receives some surprising reactions. Three stories, three interpretations of PRIDE, hosted by Theresa Okokon.

Tues, 6/22
4pm Reel South: Alabama Bound
In the months leading up to the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, gay families in Alabama were busy fighting discriminatory state laws. Alabama Bound chronicles the roller-coaster ride for gay rights in the South, and a resilient community that lives with both frustration and hope in a place where the line between church and state is often blurred. .

5pm America ReFramed: Jack and Yay (NEW)
Through the lens of independent films, this series tells the many stories of a transforming American culture and its broad diversity. It takes an unfiltered look at relevant domestic topics (healthcare, immigration, the workplace, and politics) with personal storytelling tied to programming social themes. The series showcases films that will give viewers a "snapshot" of the transforming American life - the guts, the glory, the grit of a new and changing America. From contemporary life on Native American reservations to stories of recovery on the Gulf, from hardships and revitalization in towns big and small, to stories from city streets across the country, these independent, personal and opinionated films document the times in which we live.

Wed, 6/23 
4pm Poetry in America: This Your Home Now - Mark Doty
Series creator Elisa New talks with poet Mark Doty, psychologist Steven Pinker, choreographer Bill T. Jones, design maven Simon Doonan and designer Johnathan Adler about "This Your Home Now," where a visit to the barber show sparks a meditation on love, the AIDS crisis, and the satisfactions of getting older.

Sun, 6/27
7pm POV: Call Her Ganda
Three women pursue justice for Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transgender woman who was brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine. In galvanizing a political uprising, they take on hardened histories of U.S. imperialism.

Mon, 6/28
4pm Pacific Heartbeat: Leitis in Waiting
“Leitis in Waiting” tells the story of Tonga's evolving approach to gender fluidity through a character-driven portrait of the most prominent leiti (transgender) in the Kingdom, Joey Mataele, a devout Catholic of royal descent. Over the course of an eventful year, Joey organizes a beauty pageant, mentors a young leiti who is rejected by her family, and attempts to work with fundamentalist Christians regarding Tonga's anti-sodomy and cross-dressing laws. Her story reveals what it means to be different in a deeply religious and conservative society, and what it takes to be accepted without giving up who you are.

Tues, 6/29
5pm America ReFramed: Vision Portraits
Acclaimed director Rodney Evans (Brother to Brother and The Happy Sad) takes viewers on a personal journey as he ponders how the deterioration of his vision will impact his life and work as a filmmaker. Interviewing blind and low vision artists - a photographer, a dancer and a writer - Evans embarks on a quest to learn how other artists have continued to create art and how their journeys might serve as inspiration for his own.