Why should fiction get to have all of the fun?
Some of this past year’s most moving, shocking, and unforgettable queer stories were told in documentaries—stunning non-fiction films that helped us re-frame the past, make sense of the current moment, and pave the way for a brighter future.
On that note, this year’s Queerties nominee list for 2022’s best Documentary is an embarrassment of riches, exploring scandals, sports, superstars, and everything else life throws at us.
Voting for the 2023 Queerties is officially open.
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Head on down below to read more about this year’s 10 doc nominees and find out how you can get caught up on the, all. Once you’ve had a chance to check them out for yourself, click on the corresponding icon to vote for your favorite.
Voting runs now through February 21. You can vote once per day per device in each category. Winners will be announced live at a special reception in Los Angeles on February 28 and on Queerty the following morning. Use hashtag #Queerties to share your votes and help promote your favorites.
A Sexplanation
Queer filmmaker and journalist Alex Liu realized he never received a proper sex education, so he set out on a journey across the globe to uncover the naked truth, unpacking our culture of sexual shame and figuring out how to pave the way for a “happier, healthier, sexier future.”
Streaming on Dekkoo, available on digital/VOD via Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu, and AppleTV.
Access All Areas: The AAA Girls Tour
You’ve seen tour documentaries before, but you’ve never experienced one quite like Access All Areas, following drag legends Alaska, Courtney Act, and Willam—”The AAA Girls”—as they embark on their successful 2017 American tour, featuring all the laughs, drama, and gags you could ever dream of.
Streaming on Froot.TV; available on digital/VOD via AppleTV.
All Man: The International Male Story
We love a nostalgic documentary just as much as we love hunky men, so All Man hits that perfect sweet spot, re-tracing the funny and surprisingly touching history of the iconic “jock sock” catalogue that changed the world of men’s fashion and inspired more than a few sexual awakenings.
While not currently available in the U.S., Australian audiences can catch it On Demand here.
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
This stunning documentary explores the life of famed LGBTQ photographer and activist Nan Goldin, honing in on her bold fight to bring down the pharmaceutical company that effectively started the opioid crisis. It’s among this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature.
Set to begin streaming on HBO Max later this month; date TBA.
Framing Agnes
In this stirring film, Zackary Drucker, Angelica Ross, and Jen Richards are among the stars enlisted to breathe new life into case files from UCLA’s gender clinic studies in the 1950s. By excavating a crucial piece of trans history, Chase Joynt’s eye-opening doc re-contextualizes the past.
Available for digital purchase/rental via Kino Now.
George Michael: Freedom Uncut
You definitely know the music of pop icon George Michael—from “Faith” to the music of Wham!—but do you know his full story? Filmed before his untimely passing, the doc is narrated by the queer trailblazer himself, and now features even more never-before-seen footage from a formative period in his life and career.
Available on digital/VOD via Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu, and AppleTV.
God Forbid
Get ready to dive into the deep end of the scandal that brought down the career of Jerry Falwell, Jr. and shook the Evangelical church. It all started with a pool boy, and then became a years-long saga of affairs, blackmail, and dangerous cover-ups involving—among others—the disgraced 45th President.
Streaming exclusively on Hulu.
Holding Moses
With a deserved spot on the Oscars shortlist for Best Documentary Short, Holding Moses packs quite a bit of emotion in just over 15 minutes. The film is an inspirational and radical portrait of queer parenting, centering on a dancer as she connects with her son who suffers from a rare genetic disorder.
You can watch the documentary short, in full, via The New Yorker‘s YouTube channel.
Mama’s Boy
Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black takes a candid look back at his childhood in the moving doc Mama’s Boy. Specifically, he gets vulnerable as he reflects on growing up in the Mormon church, and shares the powerful relationship with his mother who greatly inspired his career as a storyteller.
Streaming exclusively via HBO Max.
Stay On Board: The Leo Baker Story
An intimate glimpse at the life of an athlete at the moment where the personal and the professional came crashing into one another. The film follows skateboarder Leo Baker’s journey in the lead-up to 2020 Olympics, including his decision to resign from the U.S. skating team and publicly come out as trans.
Streaming exclusively via Netflix.
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