On TV: LGBTQ+ Pride Month - June 2023

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, 6/2
9pm American Masters: Little Richard: The King and Queen of Rock and Roll (NEW)
American Masters is an ongoing series of award-winning primetime specials examining the lives, works, and creative processes of our most outstanding cultural artists. This episode showcases Little Richard, a legend from the golden era of rock. Richard is the cultural lightning rod who influenced some of rock music’s most distinguished icons who will join us to validate Richard’s unquestionable role in rock history: Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and more. As Richard boastfully claims, “I am The King and Queen of Rock and Roll.”

Tues, 6/13
9pm Unidad: Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (NEW)
Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) was founded only a dozen years after the Stonewall rebellion and a couple of years before the HIV/AIDS pandemic. GLLU was the greater Los Angeles area’s first major Queer Latin@ organization, and the film chronicles events surrounding GLLU at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ equality, women’s rights, and civil rights movements that shaped the destinies of GLLU’s communities for decades to come.

11pm: Queer Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley, the high tech capital of the world, has had a profound impact on the LGBTQ+ movement. In Queer Silicon Valley, the rich history of the community’s challenges and successes in Silicon Valley is traced through an ethnically diverse range of voices. From its beginnings in a 1970s through the challenges posed by AIDS and the religious right, the fight for political representation and 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.

Sat, 6/17
10:10pm POV: The Gospel of Eureka
The spotlight is beaming on drag shows and a passion play in an Arkansas town. With verve, humor and unfailing compassion, ‘The Gospel of Eureka’ builds unexpected bridges between religious faith and sexual orientation.

Sun, 6/18
6pm The 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 spectacle and discovery employing animation and radio broadcast re-enactments.

Tues, 6/20
9pm 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.

10pm Independent Lens: Mama Bears (NEW)
Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, these moms are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their kids safe-even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds.

11:30 In the Night I Remember Your Name (NEW)
Joy. Loss. Doubt. Faith. In the Night I Remember Your Name is a daughter’s chronicle of her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. It is the story of a grandmother’s grief as she begins losing the very abilities that her new granddaughter is learning. It is the story of a pastor’s relationship with God as she questions what is happening to her. It is a journey from anguish to acceptance. And in the end, it is a story of joy.

Fri, 6/23
8pm L.A.: A Queer History: Culture and Criminalization
From artists who helped shape early Hollywood to the male/female impersonators in the “pansy clubs”, early Hollywood became a Queer destination for people wanting a new life. Early LGBTQ culture and community began to take shape just as the post WW2 era sparked widespread criminalization.

Sun, 6/25
6pm Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones D-Man in the Waters
Filmmakers Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz trace the history and legacy of choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’ ballet, “D-Man in the Waters.” Emerging in the age of AIDS, the 1989 ballet gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that Jones and colleagues experienced as AIDS took the life of their beloved co-founder Arnie Zane and other troupe members.

7:30pm Odessa’s Reign
Odessa Madre, nicknamed Queen of the Underworld, was a prosperous numbers runner and a key figure in a lucrative gambling ring in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s. Leading the paper chase gave her prestige within the mob, power in her neighborhood, and control over the men charged with enforcing the law – all while being an African American woman in a segregated city.

Mon, 6/26
11:30pm Penny: Champion of the Marginalized
Penny is a multi-dimensional portrait of Penny Cooper, a celebrated criminal defense attorney and protector of the underdog. Cooper’s life brims with stories mirroring the profound changes in our country from the 1940s to the present. She offers a unique perspective on important social narratives such as criminal justice, the artists who generate today’s global contemporary art market, gender equality, and more. Through it all, she has found herself at the center of dramatic social progress for women. A role model and pioneer, Cooper owes much of her success in transcending the glass ceiling to her unwavering resilience and fortitude.

Tues, 6/27
8pm American Experience: Casa Susanna (NEW)
In the 1950s and 60s, when failure to wear gender-appropriate clothing was illegal across most of the country, a community of cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills region of New York. Named after its matriarch, Casa Susanna provided community and validation for its guests.

11pm Reel South: A Run for More
Growing up, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe learned to be a fighter but never imagined having a chance to make history as the first openly elected transgender official in Texas. Unfolding amidst an onslaught of legal attacks against the trans community, ‘A Run for More’ immerses viewers in Frankie’s journey as she finds her voice, questions her relationship with the community, and tries to win an election.

Fri, 6/30
8pm L.A.: A Queer History: Protests and Parades
Despite adversity, LGBTQ organizing began. 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.

KQED PLUS

Thurs, 6/1
11pm 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.

Wed, 6/7
5pm POV #3303: 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.

Tues, 6/13
8pm Miriam and Alan: Lost In Scotland #101
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.

Thurs, 6/15
8pm The Man Who Destroyed Oscar Wilde
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.”

11pm 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.

Tues, 6/20
8pm Miriam and Alan: Lost In Scotland #102
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.

Thurs, 6/22
11pm Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol (NEW)
A young boy with fantasies of one day making animated movies with his teen idol (1970s Disney star, Ike Eisenmann) follows that dream on what turns out to be an incredible 40-year odyssey.

Sun, 6/25
5:30pm For the Love of Friends (NEW)
Set against the lead-up to a stage play based on the same story, For The Love Of Friends is a documentary that blends rehearsal clips with interview and archival footage to highlight the life of activist Brent Nicholson Earle. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Brent refused to watch his friends suffer due to government inaction. His audacious response was a 10,000-mile run around the United States perimeter to draw attention to the AIDS crisis, amid public backlash and a homophobic media blackout. After enduring blisters, exhaustion, ignorance and fear, he returned home to his own HIV diagnosis. Though the run finishes, Brent’s activism never stops.

Tues, 6/27
8pm Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland #103
Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming finish their Scottish odyssey driving from Inverness to Edinburgh, and enjoy some vegan white pudding, kosher haggis, ‘Zen golf’ and dressing up along the way.

Thurs, 6/29
10:38pm Feelings are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer (NEW)
At 25, she took her first dance class. At 28, she changed dance forever. Feelings Are Facts: The Life Of Yvonne Rainer provides a front row seat to the founding of postmodern dance in America in 1962 and the woman who was at its center.

KQED WORLD

Thurs, 6/1
6:30pm POV Shorts: Dreaming Life
‘Dreaming Life’ tells two stories of self acceptance and joy. “Another Hayride” showcases self-help guru Louise Hay during the AIDS epidemic and her space for healing called the Hayride. Drawing in hundreds of gay men, Louise promised self-love would help overcome AIDS. In “To the Future, With Love,” Hunter “Pixel” Jimenez is a nonbinary trans boy caught between his Guatemalan family’s expectations and his dreams of living happily ever after.

Mon, 6/12
4pm Pacific Heartbeat: Born This Way: Awa’s Story/The Rogers
‘Born This Way: Awaʻs Story’ features Te Awarangi ‘Awa’ Puna, an openly transgender Maori teen attending her final year in college in New Zealand. This documentary follows her journey with support from her family and the hurdles she must overcome. ‘The Rogers’ gives 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. While still facing many obstacles, their stories illustrate the power that comes when those rejected by society create their own community.

5pm Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: Mama Gloria
‘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. 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. This firm is driven by the love that director Luchina Fisher has for her transgender daughter, Gia.

6pm 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.

Wed, 6/14
4pm POV Shorts: Post-Colonial Queer
‘Post-Colonial Queer’ showcases films about LGBTQ experiences around the world. Reluctantly Queer: a young gay man from Ghana struggles to reconcile his love for his mother through a series of letters in this deceptively simple yet powerful piece. Clash: a 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 Zapotec people have made room for a third category, which they call “muxes.”

4:30pm Independent Lens: No Straight Lines
From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five queer comics artists whose uncensored commentary on LGBTQ+ life left no topic untouched and explored art as a tool for social change.

Thurs, 6/15
5pm America Reframed: The Death of My Two Fathers
After 20 years, Sol Guy finally watches his late father’s tapes and embarks on a personal journey of healing and reconciliation. At once a conversation between past and present and a letter to Sol’s children, ‘The Death Of My Two Fathers’ reveals the complexities of identity, the persistence of racial trauma, the challenges of fatherhood — and the liberation that exists in facing our own mortality.

6:30pm 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 mistreatment experienced by the LGBTQ community. Through the documentary, we explore 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.

Sat, 6/17
4pm 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.

5pm 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.

6pm 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.

Sun, 6/18
3:30pm 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, 6/19
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.

Wed, 6/21
4pm 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, 6/22
4pm The Committee
The Committee is a documentary film about the little-known Florida Legislative Investigative Committee 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. The film features two North Florida survivors and one interrogator who have never before spoken publicly about their experiences without anonymity. It culminates in a 50-year reunion between survivor and interrogator.

4:30pm Aging Matters: Aging with Pride
LGBTQIA elders face unique social, economic, and health challenges. Organizations and individuals across the country are working to address issues such as discrimination and loneliness. ‘Aging With Pride’ sheds light on what many in the Stonewall Generation have had to endure and fight for in the hopes of enacting positive change for the community in the ongoing pursuit of equality.

5pm America Reframed: Before You Know It
Three gay seniors navigate the adventures, challenges and surprises of life and love in their golden years.

Sat, 6/24
3:30pm American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts
Joe Papp, founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park and producer of groundbreaking plays like Hair, created a “theater of inclusion” based on the belief that great art is for everyone.

5pm American Masters: 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 and Toni Morrison, among others. Through Baldwin’s work as a writer, 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.

6:30pm POV Shorts: Becoming Myself
‘Becoming Myself’ showcases two conversations on identity and connection. “Integrate.Me” 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” explores the unconditional love between siblings as one sister interviews another on the eves of her 14th and 15th birthdays.

Sun, 6/25
7pm A Monk Who Wears Heels (NEW)
Kodo Nishimura is a Buddhist monk, makeup artist and LGBTQ activist. Current law is not sensitive to LGBTQ issues in Japan, and awareness of related matters is not well-developed at the individual or societal level. In this challenging environment, Kodo builds on his experience of harnessing Buddhist teachings to overcome adversity and raise awareness of sexual discrimination. A Monk Who Wears Heels amplifies Kodo’s concern for those who struggle with their identity and his empowering message to be true to who you are.

8pm American Masters: Keith Haring: Street Art Boy
Explore the definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring who blazed a trail through the art scene of ’80s New York and revolutionized the worlds of pop culture and fine art. The film features previously unheard interviews with Haring.

Mon, 6/26
4pm 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.

5pm Expect a Miracle
Expect a Miracle 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.

Thurs, 6/29
4pm The Lodge
The Lodge takes audiences inside this historic first-of-its kind retirement community especially created for LGBTQ seniors and their allies.

5pm America Reframed: Jack & Yaya
From a young age, Yaya and Jack saw each other as they truly were, a girl and a boy, even though most of the world didn’t see them that way. As they grew older, they supported each other as they both came out as transgender. ‘Jack & Yaya’ follows these two friends for a year and explores their unique, thirty-year relationship.

6:30pm 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.