Lesbians haven’t always seen ourselves at the cinema, which is why subtext has been so important to us throughout the last century. We’ve been lucky enough in the last few decades to have art influence society (and vice versa) so that there’s now hundreds of movies with queer female characters, plotlines and themes — which is why it’s time to put it to a vote. We want to know what you consider the Best Lesbian/Bi Movie Ever. Not only the number one Best Lesbian/Bi Movie, but the top 50 as voted by AfterEllen.com readers and writers, as well as some special guests like actors, directors, writers and other members of LGBT cinematic history.
Below are just some suggested titles to get you thinking. You can only choose one as the number one best lesbian movie, so if you prefer one that is on the list, you can type it the open entry form below. Here’s our basic rules for what constitutes a lesbian movie: The movie has to be at least an hour long (so no shorts). Unfortunately we’re not counting television shows, so no L Word, Lip Service or the like. The film has to have a central lesbian/bisexual/queer-identifying character and/or similar plotline. Obviously this is arguable, especially for movies that don’t necessarily having their characters spelling things out, but if you all vote for Wild Things as the number one lesbian movie, then that’s what everyone agrees on, no matter if Denise Richards and Neve Campbell consider their characters gayish at all.
That being said, we’re really hoping to find out what you think is a great lesbian film, as in one you’d recommend someone see or that you’ve seen multiple times because it’s just that good. It doesn’t have to be lesbian-directed or written, but we’ll see how those kinds of things fare at the end of voting. Which reminds me: Voting ends Tuesday, November 12.
We’ll post the results on Monday, November 19.
Feel free to campaign for your favorite movie in the comments. We would love to hear why you voted for the film of your choice. It could sway some of us, one way or the other.
What’s the best lesbian movie ever?
Now, which movie did you vote for?
