The coming out process always involves a little bit of historical re-contextualizing — your emotional attachments to your female best friends or your unexamined aversion to the way men smell in the morning suddenly take on new meaning when looking backwards through brand-new homo-tinted glasses. Your pop-cultural loves are no exception.
Today we look at some of the early-to-mid ’90s films that defined the youths of young queers born in the ’80s. These aren’t gay films, because well, there really weren’t many gay films back then (not like there really are now either though), but films with undertones or secret stories that queers heard loud & clear whether the mainstream knew it or not.
If you like this list, you’ll also like our list of Badass Girl Team movies, which celebrates flicks about girl gangs, girl sports teams, and otherwise group-related girl activities.
Regardless of when you grew up, what were the films that define your queer retrospective? And why do so many of ours star Whoopi Goldberg?
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
This story is multi-generational, jumping around from the past to present day. We love us some Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates (her quip about car insurance in this one is classic), but let’s be honest, Mary Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson are the real meat of this movie. Their characters meet when they are super young and obvs fall in love. Idgie is a classic dyke, but Ruth tries out the straight thing for a while. Of course, her marriage fails miserably, and the two women end up reuniting. Collective awwwws all around, especially for Idgie’s adorable over-protectiveness and devotion.
This is one of those “coded” movies that passes as hetero to all of those unenlightened viewers. But to those of us who were looking for a bit more under the surface, the relationship between Ruth and Idgie will give you everything you need. At least, for a fairly PG movie. And of course, if you’ve read the book by Fannie Flagg, it’s abundantly clear that these two women were actually in love. Rumor has it that the actresses wanted to make things a lot more explicit, but Hollywood just wasn’t ready. It also provides a handy straight/gay test: just ask a girl her thoughts on this movie for some extra clues on her orientation!
A League of Their Own (1992)
A League of Their Own is the gayest not-gay movie of all time. Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna play best friends, and the rest of them are farm girls who don’t fit in and just want to play baseball, and also, everybody acts 100% gay the entire time. I mean, COME ON. I know they all go out to a bar and dance with dudes, and yeah Madonna is boy crazy. But remember, this was in the 1940s. What else is a girl to do? Luckily, there’s a reboot coming that promises to tell the GAY story this film always wanted to be.
Little Women (1994)
Jo March, played by ’90s heroine Winona Ryder, is The Tomboy Archetype. With an emphasis on the bonds between sisters and the women-without-men wartime household, this film warmed the cockles of many queer hearts.
Girls Town (1996)
Though largely ignored by mainstream audiences (who can only handle so much girl power), this indie cult film quietly caught on amongst teenage girls and indie film circuits for its stark and female-focused portrayal of urban American life. A tight group of female friends is torn up when their best friend commits suicide, which they later discover was prompted by a rape she never told them about. Basically it’s about how girls bond with other girls to protect themselves from the slings & arrows of the men and the families that neglect them. Also, there is a lot of flannel, sports jerseys, and serious overall action.
The soundtrack gets bonus points for featuring queer faves like PJ Harvey, Salt-n-Pepa & Queen Latifah.
Now and Then (1995)
I remember this movie sold out when we went to see it in the theater, which was devastating, so we all had to buy tickets for some other crap and sneak in, where we sat in the back in the unoccupied wheelchair area in a girl-packed room.
The film centers on four grown women who’ve spent all their life trying to recapture the youthful energy they felt at the age of 12 in the summer of 1970 “when everything started to change,” like right before there was puberty and dating and boys and all those other things, let alone marriage & babies & other hetero trappings. The four girls, played by iconic ’90s girl actresses Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, and Gaby Hoffman, along with Ashleigh Aston Moore (Moore stopped acting in 1997, and tragically died at the age of 26 in 2007 from pneumonia and bronchitis), fought boys who talked shit, played boys’ games and weren’t afraid to get scrappy.
Extra gay points for Rosie O’Donnell as the grown-up Christina Ricci character, Roberta, who was originally supposed to be a lesbian although that storyline was edited out by producers wary of controversy. Demi Moore was dashing in her menswear and her daughter Rumer, who now plays gay on 90210, appeared as Demi’s daughter in Now and Then. ALSO, our dear Haviland Stillwell was an extra/stand-in.
How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
Want the weird girls to see your normal-looking movie? Cast Winona Ryder. While How To Make An American Quilt is essentially about a young woman, Finn (Ryder), who’s about to marry this dude (Dermot Mulroney), it’s also about a how group of women learned to navigate the world while still maintaining a close, if sometimes rocky, friendship with one another. Lesbians love that stuff.
The character of Finn is kind of brooding, confused and agitated. She sulks around in over-sized t-shirts and messy hair. She has feelings. She writes! She’s like us, but straighter. Anne Bancroft is quietly badassy, as per ushe, and Maya Angelou is calming and perfect, probably just like IRL.
Boys on the Side (1995)
Hello, hi! Even the title is kinda gay! Then you’ve got an actual lesbian musician, played by Whoopi Goldberg (ahem), a slightly neurotic woman who ends up screaming CUNT! in the kitchen (Mary-Louise Parker, Fried Green Tomatoes la la laaaa), and crowd favorite, Drew Barrymore, just more or less being herself, I think.
Three women on a road trip, sharing their feelings. Topless Drew Barrymore! Laughter and tears! The Indigo Girls! Nineties lipstick! Southwestern landscapes! There is so much processing and bonding in this movie, it’s almost like it’ll never end (just like a real lesbian relationship!). But it does end, and it’s sad, because you know Jane loved Robin so so much. But Holly’s hair is still super cute, so it’s ok!
The Craft (1996)
Three high school girls (Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True) — all social outcasts and slightly bitter — are practicing witchcraft with minimal results. Enter Sarah (Robin Tunney), a semi-depressed new girl with suicidal tendencies and a few secrets. When the gals finds out that Sarah’s a real witch, they invite her to be the all-important fourth member of their coven and shit gets crazy. There are a few epic scenes involving large insects and hair loss, then everyone learns about karma!
This movie had a lot to offer the young queer: cute girls in short black skirts and tight shirts, bonding, friendship and revenge. And of course we all went out and bought a book of spells and some black lipstick, even if we never got around to forming a coven.
Practical Magic (1998)
This one centers on a New England family — mainly two sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) — rumored to be witches. Their aunts, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne West, and Sally’s two daughters round out the almost entirely female cast. The men in the movie are mostly foils and usually die pretty quickly/repeatedly. Basically, Sally and Gillian go through a bunch of terrible things, along the way learning a lot about each other as sisters and also how to be happy with or without men.
This whole movie is about female empowerment and all the special benefits you get from being a woman. The witchcraft thing just adds another badass layer. The film portrays witchcraft as a special, girls-only club, which is obvs something lesbians can relate to.
Yeah, all of the women in this movie are somehow related, so this isn’t lesbianism at face value. But we like how these ladies are bonded together in extra deep ways, probably because they drink so much tequila together (hello, Midnight Margaritas sounds like the best family tradition ever).
Sister Act (1992) & Sister Act 2 (1993)
Um, hello NUNS IN A CONVENT, my name is Whoopi Goldberg, and I have come to make you SING AND DANCE in unison and revive the spirits of the townspeople who aren’t nearly as gay I MEAN FUN as y’all are! And let’s not forget the sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which featured a young Lauryn Hill as one of the students Whoopi Goldberg has to come whip into shape like she did with the nuns.
Seriously did anyone besides the homos love the sequel, maybe not. We loved the sequel.
Foxfire (1996)
Girl gang taking revenge on the men who have wronged them, as headed up by sexy leather-clad ambisexual ringleader played by Angelina Jolie, with backup by indie heartthrob Jenny Lewis and a lesbian chick played by lesbian model Jenny Shimizu.
This movie was so gay that it even turned Angelina Jolie into a bisexual. It was on the set of Foxfire that Angelina met her first girlfriend, Shimizu.
A’ight ladies, time to kick & scream about your favorites!
I love this. Honorary mention? (cause it was made in the 80s, right?) Some Kind of Wonderful!
and also b/c it featured Mary Stuart Masterson again!! golly i do love her. so i second your emotion
**note: I totally sang that last sentence and i am IN starbucks.
LOVED & still love Some Kind of wonderful… Mary stuart Masterson again… she rocks
YES! Awesome and TRUE.
This entire list is WIN (and my entire childhood). Do ya’ll remember that movie “Just One of the Guys” ??
I just watched that again last week!
Me and my girl just saw Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time just a few weeks ago. It was amazing!!! I cried for like the last half hour of it though haha. I was listing the classic 90s movies she needs to see and half of them were on your list :) loooove Now and Then and Practical Magic!!
YES. practical magic… thanks for the reminder!
NOW AND THEN. A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. I sense a pattern….rosie o’donnell is awesome, basically.
oh my god NOW AND THEN i love that movie.
What, no one mentions Thelma & Louise? And who didn’t crush on Uma Thurman in Henry & June?
I was just about to mention “Henry and June” though it wasn’t Uma I was looking at, it was Anais.
But also, what about “Bound”, “The Josephine Baker Story”, “Women of Brewster Place” and last but not least, “Gia”. I had such a visceral reaction to Angelina Jolie in that movie, it made me come out to my best friend at the time.
So unbelievably spot-on.
i had a lot of feelings about practical magic and always thought i was the only one for real. a lot of the feelings involved wanting sandra and nicole to make out. which i mean they’re supposed to be sisters, so.
You are DEF not the only one with such feelings. It’s one of the movies I watch when I’m really stressed out. It makes me want to buy a big white house in New England and grow a lot of herbs.
yeahhhhh definitely not the only one. don’t they get close at one point? because that guy who died possesses nicole? or maybe i just dreamed that..
yeahhhhh definitely not the only one. don’t they get close at one point? because that guy who died possesses nicole? or maybe i just dreamt that..
Um sisters to commit incest nah I’ll pass
NOW AND FUCKING THEN. holy shit, i feel ridiculously validated to hear that Roberta was supposed to be gay… like, she binds her boobs for chrissake. But I’m also disappointed, now, to hear that they didn’t follow through on that.
Anyway, this is kinda gay but when I was little and my dad would be traveling for work on the weekends, my mom, and my sisters, and I would have a “girls’ night” and watch Now and Then, Girls Just wanna Have Fun (which I recommenddd), or Little Women EVERY TIME. I saw each of those probably twenty times before I even turned 10. So good work, all these movies are bomb.
Girls’ night sounds so fun!
Helen Hunt in Girls Just Want to Have Fun was my fucking idol in high school (and this was in the mid-90s). I even replicated those dinosaur hair clips she wore.
Now and Then was my favorite movie for, like, ten years. I wanted Roberta to be gay so bad! It’s almost more disappointing to hear that they almost made her gay and then decided not to.
Roberta! Yeah, come on, no straight girl is gonna get that upset about getting boobs. Or wear that much plaid. Or be that hot. Or that awesome. Oh em gee, I gotta find that movie online…
This list is ridiculously accurate. I was a big fan of Tank Girl as well. Because umm…Jet.
uh yes. totally. BAM BAM BAM!
This!
Totally. Even with the kangaroo’s trying to get in her pants. If that wasn’t queer… I don’t know what is.
Plus… Lori Petty is awesome!
Tank Girl is my number one fashion icon
Riese, I totally agree. The very first time I cut my hair, I walked in to Fantastic Sam’s (hey, we were broke when I was growing up) with a picture of Lori Petty and told them “I want to look like this.”
Needless to say, my mother was horrified, and the girls at the haircut place thought I was crazy, seeing as at the time my hair was down to my knees..
But, it’s been short like that ever since.
I swear I have the exact same story only it was Great Clips not fantastic sams. the stylists were horrified.
Yeah! Tank Girl! I watch that movie at least once a year. I heart Lori Petty and Naomi Watts in it! Plus, they kiss!
Tank Girl and All Over Me were my coming out movies!
I heart’d Leisha Hailey way before the L Word.
(I miss her pink hair)
YES sister act 2. i don’t even remember sister act 1 that well, but i can sing every fucking word to joyful joyful INCLUDING the rap.
–
i also seriously loved Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. that has alan cumming in it too, so super gay.
I still have my Sister Act 2 soundtrack- It’s a cassette. I’m actually surprised it’s not worn out…
I also purchased the Sister Act 2 soundtrack on cassette. Seriously though Whoopi Goldberg was my favorite actress. idk.
You know all the words to Joyful Joyful + The Rap?? Can I book you for my wedding now? and/or will you marry me?
I invented post-its….
Ahah, I watched The Craft just the other day… This is such a great list! Shoot, looks like I have some netflix-ing to do.
P.S. I’d like to give a shout-out to Spice World and But I’m a Cheerleader.
Yes! Spice World! Internet high-five for you ma’am.
damn you Miley, what did you do with my rabbit?
Kudos for making Netflix a verb.
Just gave my gf the quiz. She LOVED 7 out of 10. Check.
I have seen 8 of these and I own 7 of them (Little Women on VHS!) I watched Foxfire, The Craft, Now & Then, and Sister Act 2 almost exclusively for years. No wonder everyone else knew I was queer before I did. I just thought they were good, fun movies…
“Seriously did anyone besides the homos love the sequel, maybe not. We loved the sequel.” What is this maybe not? Of COURSE everyone loved the sequel. You could probably use it as a test. “Did you love ‘Sister Act 2’? No? You’re probably a robot.”
hm, i remembered it not doing that well, but i guess it actually did. it made like 60 million, whereas the original made 130 million. It also got like really bad reviews. But maybe everyone did love it. i LOVED IT
ok, maybe this is too late to count, but what about Harriet the Spy (1996)? I was nine, so I feel like that’s young enough to count as a kid.
YES.
I totally loved Harriet the Spy when I was a kid, but I was watching it again recently, and I couldn’t believe how MEAN Harriet was! “If I was the kid with purple socks, I would just kill myself?” Really Papi?
Hands down totally gonna mention Harriet the Spy. Also, Rosie O’Donnell is the nanny and Harriet expresses no romantic interest in any of the male characters, which is how movies about 10 year olds should be.
Plus, when I was 10, I read that book religiously and wore out my VHS tape, had all of the spy equipment, my journal was stolen by a classmate who read it out loud during school, and I turned out to be a huge homo so obvs Harriet is too.
Harriet the Spy is such a good call
i think we need a seperate list for these — i was thinking we could do one with like harriet the spy, matilda, polly, babysitter’s club, whale rider and shit like that with little girl heroines changing the world, being intrepid etc.
WHALE RIDER. I was obsessed.
i loved whale rider more than anyone else in my christian awareness class. i should have known i was gay.
wait i think whale rider is one of the movies that i have seen in in its entirety. is that the one with the native american girl who rides a killer whale?
She’s Maori, It’s a New Zealand film.
agreed – can we get another list of the best movies for boosting your thirteen year old confidence? or maybe, other ridiculously awesome flicks from the 80’s that werent made by John Hughes – ie Teen Witch, Troop Beverly Hills!
Yes!
Loved it!
Ohhhh. So this is why I loved Sister Act so much. It all makes sense know.
My other “I inexplicably loved this film when I was growing up but it’s clearly because I was gay and didn’t know it” movie is Bend It Like Beckham. I IMDB’d it and it came out in 2002. So it’s close to the 90’s. And it was super gay, but not, because she gets with the Irish guy instead of Keira Knightley.
Parminder’s character was originally supposed to get with Kiera’s character, and not the Irish guy, but that got changed to be more ‘mainstream.’ And that’s why Kiera’s ‘there’s nothing wrong with being gay’ reaction to her mom seemed so heavy-handed.
Ahhhh. That explains a lot. So I didn’t make up the gay vibes then. Haha.
I LOVE Bend It Like Beckham.
YES. Bend It Like Beckham. How I’d wished for the girls to get together.
I rewatched BiLB recently and had completely forgotten the two ladies didn’t get together. I was like, “Is this the theatrical release? What happened to the lesbians?” and then I remembered that the REAL plotline was just subtext. Sigh.
Several of these films really enthralled me. I think I’ve always been fascinated with films about bonding. It always bothered me how quick friendships could fall apart too. The Craft is a good example of that.
I loved A League of Their Own, but I think Top Gun might be the gayest nongay film of all-time. :) I grew up in a hick town, I know farm girl softball players too, I really got a kick out of those characters.
OMG NOW AND THEN. I think Roberta was my first real girl-crush.
ENTIRE LIST. SO TRUE. MIND BLOWN.
i nominate you for a comment award this week*! you captured collective voice of this thread -> it is the way that we live(d)
*note i do not belong to the official comment committee so my nomination has no value
Thanks so much! I appreciate it.
And because you said “it is the way that we live(d)” all I can do is type the following (while singing obnoxiously):
AND LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEE!
“A League Of Their Own” was my favorite movie growing up. I always cry every time I see the scene where when they are older they sing the song the lady with the uke wrote. Gets me every time.
me too!! like you’d think after the first or 2nd time you’d be immune to or whatever haha
This was my favorite moving growing up. That says sooo much. lol
I literally just watched Sister Act 2 yesterday. I mean come on. Lauren Hill. Dame Maggie Smith. Whoopi Goldberg. Baby Jennifer Love Hewitt. Alanna Ubach(Who I forget about all the time and later hate myself for it because…seriously…have you seen her?!) LOVED IT. Will forever love Sister Act 2. There. I’m done.
Honestly, I had to google Alanna Ubach. I am probably the only person who would think of the Brady Bunch Movie upon seeing her picture. But alas, I am a dork that kinda loved that movie. They even sang in Sears. Anyhow, that was a gay movie too, and she had the hots for Marcia. And it wasn’t subtle for anyone… except the Brady’s.
yes her character in The Brady Bunch Movie made me afraid to be gay, cuz i thought gays were weird and gross girls who just hung on to pretty girls because they had all these latent sexual desires towards them!
I felt the same way, but it was slightly mitigated by the fact that I’d had a crush on her since she was in some weird Saturday morning science show with a fat guy in a rat suit. …This list/comment thread is seriously making me realize exactly how gay I was even before I’d really taken the time to analyze myself. So…thanks?
*GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP*
fat guy in a rat suit…BEAKMAN’S WORLD?!?!?!?!?!
I FUCKING LOVED THAT SHOW AS A KID. Waaaaay better than bill nye the science guy, cause it was fucked up and weird JUST LIKE SCIENCE CAN BE
also this whole list is making me have a nostalgigasm. tonight ima rewatch the craft and romy and michelle and tank girl. THANKS AUTOSTRADDLE :D
Yes! Thank you! I forgot the name and wondered for a sec if I’d dreamed that show.
Jax or Jazz was her name, right?! ‘You Can with Beakman (and Jazz)’? I totes watched that and recognized her in SA2 right away :)
OMG! I had the hugest crush on her! Her name was Josie! I think she is a voice-over artist now.
Fun Fact: Jennifer Elise Cox who played Jan in the Brady Bunch movies is out. [edit: I know I saw this in an interview somewhere. Need to dig to confirm]
shut up jess. SHUT UP. she’s like my favorite. between the Brady movies, Will and Grace, and Lovespring International, i am such a huge fan of hers. ahh!!
WHATTTTTTTT
JESS GET AN INTERVIEW RIGHT NOW DO IT
Seriously DO. I googled about trying to find one and maybe it’s the epic hangover clouding my internet abilities but I couldn’t find any mention of it and I selfishly want her to share all of her feelings with the rest of us homos.
Awesome :D Can you do a 2000’s one too?
Wow. I was born in ’89 so I should really be too young for this but…League of Their Own: I played softball for 15 years. I worshipped this movie. Now and Then: Inspired many a seance over a Ouiji board back in the day and has made me sing “Knock 3 Times on The Ceiling” whenever I ride a bike in summer. Little Women: My sisters and I watch this every Christmas Day and quote it daily. “I am so degraditated. I can hardly hold my head up. I owe at least a dozen limes!”
This is way too accurate for me. Curiously, my sisters had the same favs growing up and they’re straighties. Effects of a female dominated household?
I feel a movie fest coming on. Because omg this is the most accurate and amazing list ever. And while I love almost every one of these movies, it has been a long time since I’ve watched them.
I agree with the above mention of Thelma and Louise. And also how about Beaches? It wasn’t very gay but was another one of those strong bonds from a young age movies like Fried Green Tomatoes. And also: Bette Midler. <3
Mmmm, yeah, this list pretty much rules. Also, even though it’s in the wrong decade by about 2 years, I wanna say Josie and the Pussycats. Maybe that was just me and my teenage feelings for RLC though though. I dunno. Anyway, I’m off to watch Practical Magic and Now and Then ’cause they’re all that I currently own.
I feel deprived because I was born in ’82 and have only seen two of these movies… XD
Of course, the two I DID see were with my mom when Dad and my bro were out hunting or fishing or whatever. I swear my mom wishes she were gay/is actually bisexual possibly.
I’d like to throw out there Empire Records… this one might be a bit tenuous (or bi instead of lesbian), but the teen angst angle was always particularly apt for me and I always thought that chick who shaved her head at the beginning was probably queer.
Also, I’d love to see a list like this with YA books, and not necessarily the obvious ones like Annie on my Mind – just the other day I was thinking that my deep and abiding love for Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong and Dragonsinger had to do with my budding queerness (and that Menolly should have totally hooked up with Mirrim and not Sebel and possibly the third book should have never happened, but that’s another story).
That’s weird, I always thought she should hook up with the older Masterharper guy because I’m sure there was total frisson going on there at some point.
Also an ’82-er, and I am alarmed by how few of these films I have seen, but it doesn’t matter because League of Their Own is in there and that’s all I need!
Yeah, there was a lot of that going on too. I think in one of the later books, Sebel thinks to himself that he’s only her third love, after music and the Masterharper… ^_^;
God I will always heart Empire Records.
Well “Sinead O’Rebellion.” Shock me shock me shock me with that deviant behavior!
i love this list, and i love that i was in 2 of them. nice ladies, nice! :-)
Awesome. I’m going to watch them and play a game of Where’s Haviland?
I’ve only seen two of these movies (League of Their Own and Sister Act 2), but they’re two of my favorites, so yeah…
And I know the movie was in 2001, but Josie and the Pussycats.
I completely forgot about Now and Then. I should watch that again. I never saw Practical Magic or The Craft. Clearly, I missed out on the queer/witch connection.
Oh my good gay! i’ve just realised maybe i’m not *whisper* a homosexual… I don’t remember watching any of these.
but if we’re going to talk about it, sneaking downstairs to watch girlfight [2000] on late night tv cos i liked ‘sports’ movies may have indicated something…
Pingback: bs: not just my initials » Blog Archive » autostraddle = ’90s magic
Mmm, nostalgia. Is it just my degrading memory and advancing age, or were the ’90s magical?
I would add these two on my faves list:
Hackers – Ok, so there’s like only one girl in it, but it’s Ms Jolie with a pixie cut AND she’s a badass hacker. And the movie’s nerdy/bad/awesome.
And I loved the ring she wears.
No kidding, I said aloud on many occassions, in public, “Oh my god! I desperately need Angelina Jolie’s finger-ring!”
Yeah. Well, hindsight and all of that…
Clueless – Oh my god! I love Cher!…And now I don’t know how to act around her…
HACKERS.
Is ‘Angelina Jolie’s finger ring’ a euphemism? If so, then I agree wholeheartedly, I desperately need her ‘finger ring’ too
What does it mean that half of these are on my mom’s favorite movies list? I miss the 90’s.
I’ve only seen one of these movies. I spent most of the 90s playing computer games and hiding from the big bad scary girl gangs in town. My high school was kind of tough.
I love Fried Green Tomatoes SO MUCH. I recently set out to trace my earliest homo celeb crush and while in all honesty it was probably the Pink Ranger, Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Mitchell tied for strongest denied affection.
If you haven’t read the book yet, DO! It’s a fun read. Also, watch the director’s commentary if you ever get a chance. It’s hilarious (mostly because the director whines so many times about various things you’d think they filmed in a war zone) and the director says he thinks of the food fight as their sex scene.
1. The Pink Ranger. Yes yes yes.
2. That food fight scene is SO AWESOME.
A League of Their Own!!!! I played softball for like 15 years and was hardcore into that movie. I even listened to “This Used to Be My Playground” on repeat for like, weeks on end.
Yeah, this is one of the films that cemented my gayness. And my love of third base.
This list is scary accurate and I’m not even a lesbian. Foxfire!! Jenny Lewis <3
great list! the only thing missing is Tank Girl (I believe thelma and louise was made in the 80’s)
Thelma & Louise is most certainly a 90s movie, it came out in 1991 about a year before A League of Their Own. Geena Davis was on a roll!! I’m old enough to know, I saw both of these great films in the theater.
Thelma & Louise definitely belongs on this list!!
MERMAIDS. MERMAIDS MERMAIDS MERMAIDS MERMAIDS.
THE FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT MERMAIDS:
1. CHER
2. CHER
3. CHER
4. TEEN WINONA RYDER DRESSED LIKE A CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRL FOR NINETY MINUTES
5. BABY CHRISTINA RICCI
GUYS, MERMAIDS.
MERMAIDSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
<3 YOU AND I ARE ONE, CLEARLY
appetizers!
OMG YES MERMAIDS
Yes.
100% yes to this list! Mary Louise Parker, OMG. And Practical Magic- best thing ever. Strangely, though, the thing I liked best about that movie originally was that Stockard Channing was one of the aunts. I loved her because she read the audiobook versions of all of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books (Which is another quasi-gay piece of 80’s/90’s pop culture I think. I mean, tell me Ramona doesn’t grow up to be gay…)
Strange and geeky connection for my little brain to make at that time- that I loved the Ramona stories, especially when told by Stockard Channing’s voice, and therefore I loved Stockard Channing and anything she did.
RAMONA QUIMBY! oh shit.
Hi,
You may also see Top henchwomen in films that will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Know more about these womens in this website http://www.dailytop10.net/top-10-hench-woman/
Thank you.
Poison Ivy!
Messed up, but I remember being reeaally into the Drew and Sara action
Tank Girl :D
I just see “the challengers” is online in full. Thanks again for the recommendation. Tomboys rule! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SuKStQbn-LI
i think i was just converted. gay-verted? convinced? gay-vinced? whatevs, relating so much to little christina ricci taping down her tits in now and then should have been an automatic red flag to my little self.
Uh…need to add the movie All Over Me.
Reason numero uno that Leisha Hailey is number one on the fantasy list. I wore out the VHS of this film when I was in college.
Totally agree with the rest of the list. Is it just me or did Rosie not look very happy in the movie Now and Then. Looked depressed.
I totally agree with All Over Me!
The first time I watched it I knew I was gay. I thought I couldn’t be because I’m so girly but then I saw Leisha with her pink hair making out with Alison Folland (she was in To Die For w/ Nicole Kidman!) and that was it! Wow! I love that movie.
And whoever said Top Gun was the gayest/non gay movie of all time…get out! (Elaine voice from Seinfeld).
Had this discussion today at work (yes, these are the convos that occur in surgery)…
How gay is it that they had a montage of sweaty men, playing beach volleyball…to the song Playing With the Boys??? I actually recall some posing/muscle flexing going on ;-)
This list is so true it’s a bit creepy. In fact I own every movie except Sister Act 2 (including Tank Girl, Hackers, Empire Records, Bend it Like Beckham, & Romy and Michelle) and most are on vhs; which I still watch. But what does this say about my “straight” best friend in h.s. who watched these movies over and over again with me every night??? Oh wait… we slept together for 5 years; maybe the movies made her gay :)
I know this movie came out recently.. But, seriously… Whit It! Freaking amazing. I loved it. I wanna own it and add it to my collection of awesomeness in movies. XD
I gotta see Foxfire.. *Wanders off to Netflix.* My parents are gonna hate me for a while. XD “Where are the other movies WE want to see?” “Uhhh lemme get my fix first.” “Damn you child.”
Yay for hippie parents.
I must really be gay because I’ve seen all of these movies and I love them!
I’d like to add G.I. Jane to this list because Demi Moore was hot with her shaved head!
omg hahahhahaha this explains EVERYTHING!
and woah, I need to see Foxfire now…
THE CRAFT! Amazing…it’s in my top 5. And yes, I did go out and buy a spell book after I watched it! I’ve seen all of these movies except for Fried Green Tomatoes. What an awesome list.
<3 now & then and a league of their own. i still have them on vhs
Practical Magic is one of the best movies ever made I DON’T EVEN CARE WHAT YOU SAY
And yes, this homo loved the Sister Act sequel. I still know all the words to the final number. You down with G-O-D? Hey you know me. Who down with G-O-D? EVERYBODY! (I think it is testament to this film that it made me love a gospel number.)
Hey hey hey, this list is pretty gay.
New rule I had not heard of apparently. Women can not be friends without being gay for each other. NOT EVER. NOT ANYMORE.
Alright, well I was just passing by, trying to help a goon with a movie search. As there are no chainsaw/breast obsession shenanigans here, I’ll just let myself out the back way. BYE!!
Where can I find girls town? I have tried everyhting i can think of! Thanks P.S. I’m not gay and LOVE all these movies.Not big on Rosie O’donall though, too load for me!
amazing list. especially Now and Then – can anyone ride their bike EVER without singing Knock Three Times loudly and out of tune??? And if Roberta was straight, it was only because Devon Sawa was the closest thing to a pretty butch around (how else can you explain my Tiger Beat obsession with him?).
and practical magic!! oh sandy and nic – could they have been any hotter? totally helped solidify Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” as one of the sexiest songs ever.
i cant believe someone else loved How to Make an American Quilt as much as i did. Im fairly certain it’s because despite Ethan Hawke being like totally dreamy, Reality Bites was boring as hell. American Quilt had way more lady drama, and who didnt worship Winona at that age?
im also going to go out on a limb and add: Little Giants (icebox was the best dyke that never was) and LiLo’s The Parent Trap remake – mostly bc her Hallie was a ridiculously precocious tomboy, and would have grown up to be a fantastically sarcastic lezzie.
holy fuck Little Giants!!! gah, i watched that movie relentlessly!!!!
Oh god yes. Little Giants. Becky ‘Icebox’ O’Shea.
GAY.
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Set It Off and Terminator 2.
I was born in the 70s though…which puts me at 13 in 1990. When Terminator 2 came out, I was 14…and I swear I saw that movie in the theater 10 times. It was very confusing. I just wanted to keep watching Linda Hamilton do pull ups. That could’ve been the whole movie…Linda Hamilton doing pull ups for 90 minutes.
I was/am still in love with almost all of these.
G.I. Jane would definitely be on this list for me too.
Mars Attacks!
I know it’s not a girl-heavy movie but I was in love with Hook because I desperately wanted to be a lost boy.
like-button!
Oh my god! Just came across this list. I loved most of these movies, especially A League of Their Own because I had a thing for Geena Davis and I loved Madonna. It reminds me of being 7 and playing dress up with my best friend. I used to put on the tackiest prom dress and sunglasses and pretend I was Madonna in New York. I made her my entourage, even though she only wanted to be a cowboy or a ninja. *sigh* nostalgia…
I know it’s 80’s, but I used to watch Anne of Green Gables a lot as a child. I know it’s not meant to be gay, but my heart still swells when Anne and Diana vow to be “secret bosom friends” forever. :) :) :)
i’m pretty sure this list and the post about cashews made me fall in love with this site
Shit, these are some of my favorite movies. so predictable…
Wow…the fact that I’ve seen about half the list and love most of the other noteables by everyone else, further weighs down the “I just might be gay after all” side.
And OMGOSH..Beakman’s World!!! I was totally starting to think it didn’t really exist either. “Stenongrapher Fred” [in nasal east coast accent]
p.s. I netflix everyday!! It should def be in Webster’s as a verb.
As I was reading through these comments and the list of movies I realized that one was skipped that I personally adored and all of my women’s college friends agree should be on this list: “Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain”
There is nothing like little Anna Chlumpsky, the tomboy from the wrong side of the tracks, and little Christina Ricci, the femme new girl in town, and their unlikely friendship. The way Christina’s character leaves all her other friends and ignores the boys that like her to hang out with Anna Chlumpsky’s character? And they were totally about to kiss in the final moment before the credits start to roll.
I too crushed on the girl from Beakman’s World. Then she ends up playing a lesbian in the Brady Bunch movie, and I recognized her right away, and it was the best thing ever! Nice to know I wasn’t the only one :D
Foxfire was my first Jolie movie. OMG I watched that movie soooo many times. I discovered it shortly after coming-out to myself. I wanted to cut my hair and hitchhike to Portland. :)
Just read through this list going, “ha, oh yeah, wow, jesus, OH MY GOD” frightening accurate!
I would also add Bad Girls with Drew Barrymore and Madeleine Stowe, all those girls in their cowgirl outfits… drool
harriet the spy is a huge dyke.
Wow, half of these movies are my all-time favorites. Now & Then *in particular* is on my all-time top 20.
SET. IT. OFF.
Practical Magic! Yissss… honestly, I mostly have a deep and abiding love for Sandra Bullock. Miss Congeniality, Practical Magic, so many movies.
Well, I should write some of these titles down. They might come in handy one day.
This is an olllllllllllld thread.
Old thread it may be, but I just discovered it and I needed to say a few words: EVAN RACHEL WOOD BISEXUAL as a bb.
Just come out to myself for the second time (it’s a long story) after re-watching Some Kind of Wonderful and crushing hard on Watts, and finding out that other girls like her too.. :-)
Oh god, I loved these different characters, I should have KNOWWWWN.
I watched Foxfire for the first time ever today and I cried my eyes out.
So many feelings…
Yes to all of these!
Clueless should be on the list too!
This one technically doesn’t count because it was made in 1989, however, I probably did not watch it until 1995, so in my heart it counts, sort of.
The Challengers. A Canadian made for TV movie about a girl who just wants to hang out with a local gang of boys. The problem? They have a “No Girls Allowed” policy.
Here’s the trailer.
http://youtu.be/nPVKpyyhYkY
Pingback: Las mejores diez películas de los 90 con connotaciones lésbicas
So this thread is 4 years old and there are multiple Angelina and Winona movies here, but no one thinks to mention Girl, Interrupted??? It’s even in the nineties! One of my biggest 90’s favs along with Practical Magic, A League of their Own, The Craft, and Now and Then. Looks like I will have to get watching on some of these others!
To continue with the theme of this thread being outdated, I watched Fried Green Tomatoes this afternoon for the first time and then Googled something about the Idgie and Ruth as love interests and this article was second in the search results. The article and comments that followed confirmed my thoughts on the Idgie-Ruth relationship. I wish I’d seen this film sooner, and I intend to read the book. I saw Now and Then at a friend’s birthday party on VHS when I was 7 in 1997 and all of us bonded over it. I had no conscious understanding of its subtext, but I definitely wanted to be Roberta and was fascinated by the duct-tape binding scene. I saw Practical Magic and The Craft in middle school at lunchtime in “video club” (where a select few of us went to avoid the student government rallies, elections, and football/cheerleader scene). I discovered Boys on the Side thanks to IMDB after the Weeds series finale (I love Mary Louise Parker), and Whoopi Goldberg has been one of my favorite actors to watch since I saw Sister Act (1 & 2) as a child. Oh and come to think of it–as a pre-teen I watched every episode of the short-lived series Kate Brasher and idolized Mary Stuart Masterson (who played Idgie in Fried Green Tomatoes.
While I’ve not seen all the films on this list, I agree with all the ones I have seen. However I believe there are several missing that certainly helped me come to terms with not only my sexuality but also my desire to see strong successful women that didn’t let society or it’s misogynistic norms bring them down.
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Bound (1996)
Gia (1998)
Some others that I can’t recall right now.
yeah, I’m shocked there was no mention of “Thelma & Louise” or “Just One of the Guys.” but seriously, what about “Josie & the Pussycats”? could Rachel Leigh Cook & Rosario Dawson be any more lesbionic in that movie?? seriously, every time they’re on screen together, it’s like, “gay. gay. SO gay! just make out already!”
FOXFIRE IS EVERYTHING.
I saw a number of these in the theater as a kid. I especially enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes as a 9-year old. I loved The Craft in Middle School I never saw Foxfire, even with my crush on Angelina Jolie after Hackers so that’s on my to watch list now.
Bi girls too, yo. This list is some good times.
This is a great list! Loved most of these as a kid.
But I just want to point out that Angelina Jolie was prooooobably bi even before she met her first girlfriend since bisexuality is an identity that is not dependent on who you are currently dating. ?
All Over Me.
But why is this specific to being gay? What about bi girls and nb folk?
:runs to you in bi pride flag to give you a high five:
Seriously, I love autostraddle, but “lesbian” doesn’t include non-monosexual women and gq/nb folks.
This list is totally accurate but I feel like these lists ALWAYS forget “Gold Diggers: Thr Secret of Bear Mountain” and the wonderful female friendship of Christina Ricci and Anna Chumsky in this film. I mean, new girl in town ditches her new friends and the boys who want her attention for the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? It doesn’t get better than that.
THIS
it was like Huck Finn but with girls
Where is Gold Diggers Secret of Bear Mountain?? From 1995, starring Christina Ricci and Anna Chlumsky, and one of the gayest movies I have ever seen. Small me LOVED this movie.
I always read Ruth in FGT as bi–I was also with a POS man for a long time, but that doesn’t make me any less bi now that I found my Idgie.
“Idgie is a classic dyke, but Ruth tries out the straight thing for a while.”
Right! Wouldn’t “bisexual” be a more obvious conclusion than “straight and then lesbian”? Haha, hi, we exist!
Have people read Practical Magic the book? The story in the book is *far* more complex and multi-generational. When the movie came out I preferred the book *so much* (but that didn’t stop me watching it about 10 times!)
It’s by Alice Hoffman.
Where is “To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar”?
It’s about gays and “girls”, after all. ;-)
Oh gosh, Fried Green Tomatoes. Be still my heart. That was a movie that spoke to me so much when I was still in the closet. Because I was terrified of getting caught watching anything overtly gay, the only woman-on-woman things I tended to let myself see were pictures or quick clips of women kissing, all aimed at pleasing men. I even remember zipping through the facebook groups created by dudes/for dudes that were called “I love lesbians” and things like that. I thought it would be easier to close out of a browser like that… and of course I always remembered to delete the history.
Then I saw Fried Green Tomatoes and I was so moved. I knew right away that it was a love story, and it was the first thing that ever made me feel like women in love could be something pure – something that didn’t need to be ashamed of itself, something to cherish, something beautiful. It didn’t need to be exploitative or over-sexualized (for men’s eyes). I have since seen and loved many lesbian movies (Carol and Saving Face are my favorites), but FGT will always hold a special place in my heart. I still think it’s one of the greatest romances ever put on film.
Pingback: The Worst Years – New Things Scare Me
I feel like Little Women was the first movie I ever saw at the cinema? Although maybe it’s just the first one I remember, because Jo March was such a boss. I basically aspired to be her, minus the gross old professor. Also, Jo was based on Louisa May Alcott, and Louisa May Alcott was probably a homo and definitely a ‘spinster’, so.
That old post of 90 s film is great asare the comments
Like to add”Tadpole and the whale”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1SDwnsKHZSc
canadian ,even though it was shot 1988.but replayed in the 90 s on TV.such a great one about a preteen girl( what a good choice , as mostly these kind of adventure films get cast with a boy as the lead)who can hear whale sounds no one else can highly recommended. She was such a tomboy there . I, before ever seeing that film , has listened countless times on tape/ cassette. So already knew all the words by heart.
was obsessed with “mermaids”..got replayed a lot in german TV. Nice to see fans here too.And winona ryder was( and is) so lovely…for me her total fixation of being a nun read gay to me, the straight love story always felt forced.would made more sense if she would have fallen in love with the bespactled “bad girl”.dies anyone here see that too?
The 60s soundtrack was awesome too.. Love the final scene,and the song there even though the lyrics are horrible sexist.. Did get replayed on german tv a lot. Cher was such a boss in that movie. And miss ricci was awesome too.
Being born in the very,very early 80s i was exposed to a lot of winona films replay in the late 90 s on tv , “reality bites”did make me wanna try smoking , which i did , after it on the playground , found it disgusting , never touched one again.
“Now and then” big obsession too, the crush on the tomboy who does the breast bind should have been a strong indicator.also crushed on gaby hoffman.
But since “roberta”was gay as an adult there , i did have interpret the straight love arc roberta was given there story as a teen/ pre teen as sth that roberta will grow ” out of It” As an adult.😉 the thing What ignorant straight people always say in the reverse case, of preteen/ teen girls crushing on a girl..😡
always cry everytime , still, when it comes to the scene to the end with crazy pete, the lonely old man who saves one of the girls from drowning , and when he speaks of his loneliness and how he hides away from the world.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-I7RT0PrkXI
it hits home , cause i tend to do that too, cause a lot of time i find human interaction exhausting. Does anyone else cry there too?
Thanks for the “challenger” Film tip, hiding in the comments and the posted trailer,never heard of it but a girl who dress up as a boy to join a boy gang and seemingly does not get punished for it in the end reads like a good film for pre teen baby gays .
Bear mountain , yeah def strong gay vibe with anna chlumsky and christina ricci having wilderness adventures.
Saw of the orginal article post every movie beside the kidman/ bullock film. And not girls town.
But I loved sandra in speed though and that film where she gets hacked and someone stole her identity, she was so fierce and tomboyish there ,fighting back .dont remember a forced love story there… But prob there was one?
Sister act was replayed a lot and the songs there stuck in my mind.
Fried green tomatos , oh yes.