Because of social mores and Hollywood's Hays Code censorship guidelines in place until 1968, gay characters essentially did not exist on film. Even when someone "seemed" like they could be queer, it was vague enough to easily deny such an accusation. Homosexuality was not allowed to be depicted, so at most nothing went beyond subtext. When Montgomery Clift and John Ireland stroke each other's guns in 1948's "Red River," they're just two cowboys who really admire the other's prowess with a pistol.
As attitudes evolved and the power of the production code waned, this started to change in the 1970s. Then, the 1980s saw many films put queer stories front and center. No longer were LGBT characters simply coded as "gay" — they were actually gay. Instead of romances being merely alluded to as subtext, they became the onscreen text. Below are five influential queer movies from the '80s that shifted gay storytelling that you can watch during Pride Month.
