Parents' Guide to

Pride

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Worthy docuseries traces 6 decades of LGBTQ+ struggle.

TV FX Reality TV 2021
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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

Beginning in the 1950s, PRIDE looks at the highlights and lowlights of LGBTQ+ history in the United States, from the Lavender Scare that led to mass dismissal of gay people in government jobs, up to the current cultural focus on the rights of transgender people. Covering one decade in each of six episodes, PRIDE uses archival photos and videos, including news footage and imagery taken by queer people and shared from private collections. It tells a story about people who weren't always understood, but who kept agitating for change and, to a large extent, got it.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Kids say (1):

Documentaries tracing America's LGBTQ+ history tend to follow a well-worn path from Stonewall to AIDS to the transgender-rights movement, but this series scores by working in some lesser-known highlights. Pride starts in the 1950s when, as the episode title has it, "People Had Parties" that were the only realistic way of mingling safely with other queer people, and unspools a decade of history in each of six episodes culminating with "2000s Y2Gay." Along the way, Pride uncovers some vintage nuggets: Joseph McCarthy's 1954 threat to expose Sen. Lester Hunt's gay son, which led to Hunt's suicide in his Senate office; San Francisco's Compton Cafeteria riot, which preceded Stonewall by three years; and the scandal that led to Crystal LaBeija rejecting White drag competitions and founding drag ball culture's first house.

Pride also nabs interesting actors and personalities: John Waters, with his perpetually amused viewpoint on his own wild ride through America's changing gay culture; Alia Shawkat recreating pivotal scenes in the life of Madeleine Tress, who was just an ordinary lesbian who nonetheless caught the attention of the FBI for her orientation; and NYC underground nightlife chronicler (and the guy who broke the "Party Monster" murder story) Michael Musto are highlights. So though it does run through big-picture looks at Stonewall, AIDS, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Pride also takes viewers to places they've never been before. It's a worthy series that also happens to be pretty fun to watch.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the filmmakers' decision to use current actors to reenact important moments from gay history. What was the impact of seeing these stories reenacted? Did the segments feel exploitative to you? Did they help you understand the meaning and context of these events?

  • Documentaries are made to entertain, inform, inspire, and/or persuade. Which category(ies) best describes Pride? Why?

  • This series spotlighted a wide company of activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community. What did you think about the representation you saw in this series? Did you see anyone you particularly identified with? Is that important?

TV Details

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