The Most Popular LGBTQ+ Movie in Every State

At Shane Co., we love to see our customers express themselves. We have a knack for finding beautiful stones that allow people to outwardly present the creativity and beauty that lives inside. This Pride Month and every month, we want to amplify the beauty of love in the LGBTQ+ community — a community that we’re proud to support and celebrate!

Pride looks a little different this year, as parades and parties have been canceled to protect the health of would-be attendees. However, in thinking about ways to celebrate and reflect on LGBTQ+ experiences at home, we immediately thought of a great solution: binge-watching all of our favorite LGBTQ+ movies!

To have some fun (and as an excuse to pore over our favorite flicks) we decided to see which movies should make our Pride binge list by checking out which LGBTQ+ movies were most popular nationwide.

Using Google Trends search reports, we were able to analyze the most searched LGBTQ+ movies in the United States. We organized our data findings geographically, so we could look at how favorite LGBTQ+ movies differed nationwide.

The data we found showed some interesting trends among the most searched movies. Read on and see if your Pride pick made the list. Then, get comfy with whomever you love and celebrate Pride with these popular movies!

Based on the data, our biggest takeaway was that there is a huge variety of popular movies across different states. While some films definitely dominated nationwide popularity, 23 movies were most popular in only a single state. With so many states having a unique most popular film, it’s interesting to see which films were common loves and why unique films are special for certain states.

First, let’s look at films that were popular across several states.

One big pick was Beginners, the most searched LGBTQ+ movie in 12 states, from Hawaii to Maine. We can’t think of a more perfect film for Pride! This adorably funny yet warm film showcases the story of a man named Oliver as he reflects upon the life of his father Hal, who has begun to explore his gay identity as an older man. With its sweet father-son scenes and introspection on sexuality, Beginners is a great way to celebrate Father’s Day during Pride Month.

Another popular pick was The Normal Heart, which was the most searched movie in five states. This movie was especially popular in the South, ranking No. 1 in Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi, which is a little surprising considering that it follows its characters through the AIDS crisis in New York City during the 1980s. While it’s definitely heartbreaking, The Normal Heart is a beautiful movie and is a great pick for those looking to reflect on the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

Finally, The Children’s Hour also had more widespread popularity, being the top-searched film in three states. This widespread popularity is a true indication of the lasting impact of the 1961 movie, which was groundbreaking in its portrayal of same-sex love in movies. While LGBTQ+ films have certainly come a long way, seeing characters struggle to embrace their identities still resonates deeply during Pride today.

While multi-state prominence was awarded to a few movies, other trends of LGBTQ+ movies also popped out.

First, there was substantial popularity for films whose plots included stories of their characters facing AIDS. Six of the 35 top-searched films included AIDS and HIV as a major theme, including Philadelphia, The Normal Heart, Before Night Falls, and Beats Per Minute. Top popularity of these films across 10 states indicates that stories of resilience in the LGBTQ+ community are tremendously moving. Pride is all about celebrating progress through struggles facing the LGBTQ+ community, and these films definitely attest to that idea.

Another trend we saw was the mirroring of the regions where films were popular.

For example, Philadelphia, the story of a gay man’s legal battle in the City of Brotherly Love, was the most popular LGBTQ+ film in Pennsylvania. Likewise, Before Night Falls, the story of a gay man in Havana, was the most popular pick in Florida, a state with a large Cuban population.

Finally, we loved to see the diversity of characters and stories across the different popular films.

Top popular films included stories of men, as in Call Me by Your Name; women, as seen in Carol; and non-binary and trans people, as seen in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Tangerine. Further, films like Moonlight, The Watermelon Woman, and Tangerine promoted black and Latinx pride stories across racial lines. We love that this list of popular films promotes a variety of stories and characters, and we know that an LGBTQ+ movie marathon is only better when it showcases diversity!

When all is said and done, there are a great number of films with LGBTQ+ themes, and, even better, the diversity of these films is only growing. We are so happy that during Pride Month, we can fall into stories of embracing identity — and we think that’s worth celebrating.

Shane Co. is proud to support our LGBTQ+-identifying customers in embracing their identities through gorgeous jewelry, as well as same-sex couples shopping for wedding bands and engagement rings to celebrate their love. But most importantly, we are proud to celebrate our customers embracing their own gorgeous selves! Happy Pride Month!