Friday, May 25-----June is the traditional month for celebration of Gay Pride in New York (and around the country, for that matter). It was on a hot and steamy night in June of 1969 that gay men and women, and several decorous drag queens, openly rioted against police harassment during a periodic police raid of the Stonewall, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Riots became the touchstone for the modern gay rights movement that continues to battle for expanded privileges...

The Berlinale is still the only major international film festival offering official awards for the best films on gay, lesbian or transgender themes. The legendary famed Teddy awards have been offered since 1987, and following the political orientation of the Berlinale, the awards were created with the goal of enlightenment, thus breaking taboos and challenging the stereotypes dominating official and popular views of the queer and transgender communities. The daring and innovative nature of the...