FX’s “Pride” Docuseries Highlights America’s LGBTQ Rights Movement

A rainbow flag, commonly known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, blows in the wind inside Christopher Park outside the Stonewall Inn in New York
“Pride” on FX is a six-part series covering LGBTQ history.
Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

FX is unveiling a “Pride” mini-series documenting trailblazers in the LGBTQ civil rights movement in the US.

Starting in the 1950s continuing through the 2000s, viewers get an inside look into everything from the FBI’s surveillance of gay people to the fight for marriage equality and the Lavender Scare, a mass effort to expose gay and lesbian government employees publicly. The series also highlights the late civil rights leader Bayard Rustin; writer, poet, and activist Audre Lorde; and out lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Additionally, transgender pioneers are featured in the documentary, including Dean Spade, Raquel Willis, Susan Stryker, and more.

Out Black transgender director Yance Ford and out Black lesbian director Cheryl Dunye are among LGBTQ directors examining the fight for queer and trans rights. The documentary is executive produced by Alex Stapleton and VICE Studio’s Danny Gabai, Kama Kaina and Stacy Scripter, and Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Sydney Foos.

During each episode, viewers are blasted to a new decade while a director explains the importance of the given era.

“That was a really big goal of the series for each decade that we did, was to chronicle and highlight the struggles that went through with each decade,” Stapleton told Deadline. “But to also highlight the love and the joy and the spirit and the happiness that communities would find.”

The first three episodes of the six-part documentary show will premiere on May 14 at 8 p.m. Viewers can also watch the show on Hulu.

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