Brace yourselves. This list of the Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies is probably going to generate some howls of protest thanks to a rather major upset in the rankings. Frankly, one that surprised the hell out of us here..
But before we get to that, an introduction. A few weeks ago we asked readers to submit up to ten of their favorite films by write-in vote. We conducted a similar poll several years ago, but a lot has happened culturally since then, and a number of worthy movies of gay interest have been released. We wanted to see how your list of favorites had changed.
We also wanted to expand our list to 100 from the top 50 we had done previously. We figured there were finally enough quality gay films to justify the expansion. And we wanted to break out gay documentaries onto their own list (You’ll find the Top 25 Greatest Gay Documentaries results here.)
So, after voting closed we sorted through the nearly 35,000 nominations (representing over 600 individual film titles) to identify your top 100 favorite gay films. Then we announced the top 10 on our Facebook page in alphabetical order and let you vote one last time to decide the top 10 order.
And surprise, Brokeback Mountain was not the number one movie. We double-checked the numbers, it got beat out by three votes.
Several factors may have weighed into this outcome. First, it’s very likely that the ultimate winner (a great little indie film) has passionate fans who made a concerted effort to get out the vote. And second, maybe a lot of people just assumed – as we did – that the Ang Lee classic starring the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal would yet again take top honors, so they didn’t bother to actually vote for it.
But just maybe there was something else at work here: the current gay zeitgeist. Could it be that we’ve grown weary of gay tragedies? Enough with the gay guy dying at the end, maybe today’s LGBT filmgoers crave more upbeat and hopeful fare. Brilliant as Brokeback is, one can’t exactly call it a feel good movie, and the film that bested it in this year’s list was a sweet gay romance with a happy ending.
There are other surprises to be found in this list, but we’ll leave it to you in the comments to interpret the rankings. Without further ado, your Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies!
Suma, the “perfect family” is forced to confront all of the lies and secrets that have been eating away at its foundations. Starring Bibi Besch and James Sikking as the heads of a dysfunctional household, “Doing Time” also gives us one of Jim Carrey’s earliest dramatic performances. William McNamara portrays the favorite son who tries to deny being gay because he doesn’t want to disappoint his parents.
99. 
Noah’s Arc: Jumping The Broom (2008)
Summary: A movie sequel to the Logo series. After various complications, lead character Noah ties the knot with longtime boyfriend Wade.
98. Breakfast With Scot (2007)
Summary: A married gay couple find themselves fostering a most unusual boy. The gender-bending child challenges them both, particularly Eric (Tom Cavanagh) who has very specific ideas on what it means to be masculine.
97. Howl (2010)
Summary: As Allen Ginsberg talks about his life and art, his most famous poem is illustrated in animation while the obscenity trial of the work is dramatized.
96. Christopher and His Kind (2011)
Summary: The story of author Christopher Isherwood (played by Doctor Who’s Matt Smith) in 1930’s Berlin and the friends and lovers that he encounters there.