Since 1988 every year the American National Film Registry of the Library of Congress adds to its official collection of films it has selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic contributions
A film becomes eligible for inclusion ten years after its original release. Members of the NFPB can ballot for possible films for inclusion, and since 1997, members of the public have been able to nominate up to 50 films a year to be considered as well. The Registry now has significant LGBTQ content, even though just one of the 50 on this year’s list is gay. The Wedding Banquet (1993) is the 2nd film by Ang Lee accepted into Register the first being his 3-time Oscar winner Brokeback Mountain.
However, in 2022 25% of the movies announced for inclusion were made by or about members of the LGBTQ+ community in America. They included John Waters‘ most mainstream movie Hairspray and Dee Rees‘s award-winning debut film Pariah about a Black teenage girl in Brooklyn coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian.
Who knows what gays in the future will think of us, but here’s more of the LGBTQ section of the Registry that will help them to form opinions on the culture of our generation
‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (1999)
‘The Times of Harvey Milk’ (1984)
‘Cabaret’ (1972)
‘Scorpio Rising’ (1964)
‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975)
‘Tongues Untied’ (1989)
Labels: 2023, 2023 additions, LGBTQ+ films, preserved, The National Film Registry
