On TV: LGBTQ+ Pride Month — June 2022

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

KQED 9

Fri, 6/3

9pm American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts (NEW)
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.

10:30pm 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.

Tues, 6/7
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, 6/11

8pm True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs (NEW)
Celebrate Pride Month with music from Indigo Girls, Billy Gilman, Morgxn, Peppermint, Jujubee, Alexis Michelle, Trey Pearson, Breanna Sinclaire, Andre de Shields and more along with real-life stories of hope hosted by Harvey Fierstein.

10pm Melissa Etheridge: This Is M.E. Live In LA
Filmed in 2014, this concert special showcases one of rock’s great female icons and her band as they perform on the final night of her national “This Is M.E.” tour at the historic Orpheum in Los Angeles.

 Sat, 6/18
11:30pm POV Shorts: Becoming Myself
Two conversations on identity and connection. "Integrate.Me" - This short follows Tristan, a young adult who grew up queer, trans, and traumatized. They took a chance on an experimental therapy, finding their authentic place. "Elaine is Almost" - Explore the unconditional love between siblings as one sister interviews another on the eves of her 14th and 15th birthdays.

Mon, 6/20

9pm It’s a Match (NEW)
It’s a Match tells the story of Alana and Lori - two LGBT 20-somethings looking for love online when a casual right swipe made a match that would bind them together forever. Within a few weeks of meeting, Lori learned that Alana has been on a wait list to receive a life-saving kidney transplant for years. Against all odds, Lori learns she is a candidate for donation and decides to bestow Alana with the ultimate gift.

 Sun, 6/26
6pm L.A.: A Queer History: Culture & Criminalization (NEW)
From artists who helped shape early Hollywood to the male/female impersonators in the "pansy clubs", early Hollywood becomes a Queer destination for people wanting a new life. Early LGBTQ culture and community begins to take shape just as the post WW2 era sparks widespread criminalization.

KQED PLUS

Fri, 6/3
4:30pm 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."

5:30pm 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.

Wed, 6/8
2pm We’ll Meet Again: Coming Out
Two stories of self acceptance and finding joy. "Another Hayride" - As the AIDS epidemic took hold in the early 1980s, self-help guru Louise Hay created a space for healing called the Hayride. Drawing hundreds of gay men confronting a deadly pandemic, Louise promised that self-love would help them overcome AIDS. "To the Future, With Love" - Meet 19-year-old Hunter "Pixel" Jimenez, a nonbinary trans boy caught between the expectations of his Guatemalan immigrant family and his dreams of living happily ever after.

Thurs, 6/9
2pm 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.

Mon, 6/13
2pm 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 LGBTQI 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 welcoming community, great drumming and dancing, and a lot of fun.

2:30pm Lodge
The Lodge takes audiences inside this historic first-of-its kind retirement community especially created for LGBTQ seniors and their allies.

Wed, 6/15

2pm Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story
Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story intimately documents the life and career of two-time Olympian Randy Gardner. Together with his Olympic partner Tai Babilonia, they formed the iconic figure skating pairs team known as "Tai and Randy." The film shares one man's quest to finally come to terms with his true identity so that he can be a light to others.

 Thurs, 6/16
2pm Expect A Miracle
Expect a Miracle: Finding Light in the Darkness of a Pandemic 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.

Fri, 6/17
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. The film is a collection of these moments as told by Cooper and the people who have been impacted by her dynamic spirit. The talented lawyer and art enthusiast offers a unique perspective on important social narratives such as criminal justice, the artists and collectors who generate today's global contemporary art market, gender equality, and more. 

Mon, 6/20
2pm Queer Silicon Valley (NEW)
Silicon Valley, known as the high tech capital of the world, has had a profound impact on the LGBTQ+ movement in the United States. In Queer Silicon Valley, a new one hour documentary from Bob Gliner (We're Still Here, Schools That Change Communities, Walk the Walk) and Ken Yeager, the rich history of the LGBTQ+ Community's challenges and successes in Silicon Valley is traced through an ethnically diverse range of voices. From its early beginnings in a 1970s vibrant bar scene through the challenges posed by AIDS and the religious right, the fight for political representation and marriage equality, to what it was like to come out in the high tech industry, Queer Silicon Valley casts a fresh lens on a not well known but significant history.

3pm Coming Out: A 50 Year History
Narrated by transgender teen Jazz Jennings (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.

Thurs, 6/23
5:30pm Pacific Heartbeat: Born This Way: Awa's Story/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.

8pm Miriam and Alan: Lost In Scotland #101 (NEW)
Starting in Glasgow, Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming visit the street where Miriam's Jewish family first lived in Scotland, then journey north into the Highlands; Alan learns about his ancestral past at Cawdor Castle.

Fri, 6/24
4:30pm POV Shorts: Dreaming Life
Two stories of self acceptance and finding joy. "Another Hayride" - As the AIDS epidemic took hold in the early 1980s, self-help guru Louise Hay created a space for healing called the Hayride. Drawing hundreds of gay men confronting a deadly pandemic, Louise promised that self-love would help them overcome AIDS. "To the Future, With Love" - Meet 19-year-old Hunter "Pixel" Jimenez, a nonbinary trans boy caught between the expectations of his Guatemalan immigrant family and his dreams of living happily ever after.

Sun, 6/26
5pm Out in Rural America
Out in Rural America is 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, the film explores the issues of self-doubt, discrimination, acceptance, and small-town and Midwestern LGBTQ+ life from a cultural, social, familial, and religious perspective.

Mon, 6/27

5pm Becoming Johanna
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.

11:32pm Rosemary
Rosemary is the first transgender woman in the state of West Virginia elected to public office. With the pandemic as the backdrop, the film follows Rosemary Ketchum's campaign and election (June 2020) to Wheeling's City Council.

Thurs, 6/30
8pm Miriam and Alan: Lost In Scotland #102 (NEW)                                                                                                                                        
Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming visit Ullapool and Glencoe on their love letter tour of Scotland. They meet Susan, a pagan witch, who involves them in an ancient healing ritual, and Alan fulfills his dream of writing and performing a song in Gaelic.

9pm Man Who Destroyed Oscar Wilde (NEW)
In The Man Who Destroyed Oscar Wilde, Merlin Holland, grandson of Oscar Wilde, tells the epic story of the famous playwright's courtroom duel and downfall at the hands of an attorney who he once called an "old friend."               

 KQED WORLD

 Wed, 6/1
4pm Murder in Montrose: The Paul Broussard Legacy
In 1991, Paul Broussard, a 27 year old gay man, was murdered on the streets of Houston, sparking a deafening outcry. The crime served as a wake-up call that highlighted all of the harassment and mistreatment experienced by the LGBTQ community. Through the documentary, we explores the aftermath of this pivotal event - from civil unrest to hate crime legislation; from victim's rights to political activism, Houston and the nation would never be the same again.

4:30pm Home Truth
In 1999, Colorado mother Jessica Gonzales experienced every parent's worst nightmare when her three young daughters were killed after being abducted by their father in violation of a restraining order. Devastated, Jessica filed a lawsuit against the police, claiming they did not adequately enforce her restraining order despite her repeated calls for help that night. Determined to make sure her daughters did not die in vain, Jessica pursued her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and an international human rights tribunal, seeking to strengthen legal rights for domestic violence victims. Meanwhile, her relationship with her one-surviving child, her son Jessie, suffered, as he struggled with the tragedy in his own way. Filmed over the course of nine years, Home Truth chronicles one family's pursuit of justice, shedding light on how our society responds to domestic violence and how the trauma from domestic violence tragedies can linger throughout generations.

Fri, 6/3

5:30pm American Masters: Terrence McNally
Explore four-time Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally's six groundbreaking decades in theater. The film delves into McNally's pursuit of love and inspiration, LGBTQ activism, triumph over addiction and the power of the arts to transform society.

 Mon, 6/6
6:30pm Stories from the Stage: Pride
There are all sorts of things people can be proud of: their identity, family and heritage, a wise decision, a singular accomplishment, or just standing up and being true to who they are. 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. Hosted by Theresa Okokon.

Tue, 6/14
5pm Independent Lens: Cured
When homosexuality was considered a mental illness to be "cured," renegade LGBTQ+ activists fought a powerful psychiatry establishment that had things dangerously backwards.

Wed, 6/15
5:30pm POV: Pier Kids
Follow the Black, homeless queer and trans youth who call NY's Christopher Street Pier their home as they withstand tremendous amounts of homophobia and discrimination while working to carve out autonomy and security in their lives.

 Thurs, 6/16
5pm America ReFramed: Broken Heart Land
 On an early autumn afternoon, in his parent's ranch in Norman, Oklahoma, gay teen Zack Harrington killed himself with a gunshot to the head. One week earlier, Zack attended a local city council meeting in support of a proposal for LGBTQ History Month in his bible-belt town. When the floor was opened up for public comment, some community members made highly controversial statements equating being gay with the spread of diseases such as HIV and AIDS. Against the backdrop of a town bitterly divided on the issue of homosexuality, Zack's grief-stricken parents, both conservative Republicans and military veterans, are forced to reconcile their own social and political beliefs with their son's death. 

Sat, 6/18
10pm POV: Out in the Night
Examine the uphill battle of a group of African-American lesbians charged with attempted murder when they fought back after being threatened. The case reveals the role that race, gender identity and sexuality play in the criminal justice system.

 Wed, 6/22

4pm POV: We Are the Radical Monarchs
 Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color on the frontlines of social justice. Follow the group as they earn badges for completing units on such subjects as being an LGBTQ ally, preserving the environment and disability justice.

Thurs, 6/23
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, 6/24

4pm James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket

This program is an in-depth portrait of James Baldwin, one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. Using archival material that reflects Baldwin's worldwide influence and appeal, the film includes interviews with family members, friends and notable colleagues, including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, William Styron, Amiri Baraka, Richard Avedon, and Bobby Short, among others. Segments were filmed in France, Turkey, and Harlem, all places where Baldwin lived. Through Baldwin's work as a writer (ever since his first book in 1953, "Go Tell It On The Mountain"), he has helped mobilize the civil rights movement, brought new awareness and compassion to both black and white readers, and shed light on what it is like to be black in America.

Sat, 6/25

9pm American Masters: Ballerina Boys

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 Independent Lens: Real Boy

 Real Boy is the coming-of-age story of Bennett, a trans teenager with dreams of musical stardom. During the first two years of his gender transition, as Bennett works to repair a strained relationship with his family, he is taken under the wing of his friend and musical hero, celebrated trans folk singer Joe Stevens.

Sun, 6/26

9:30am L.A.: A Queer History: Protests & Parades (NEW)

 Despite adversity, gay and lesbian organizing begins. Publications, protests and uprisings spring up, leading to the country's first Pride Parade, LGBTQ Social Services, the first "Gay City" and an eventual national Civil Rights Movement.

Thu, 6/30

5pm America ReFramed: Before You Know It

Three gay seniors navigate the adventures, challenges and surprises of life and love in their golden years.