Fall movies show positive signs for LGBT roles in Hollywood

Ellen Page was first approached about the true-life gay rights drama “Freeheld” when she was 21, just coming off her breakthrough in “Juno.” It was seven years before the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a right, and six before Page herself came out. As much as change is in the air in 2015, it’s also on the screen. Though Hollywood’s track record when it comes to telling the stories of LGBT lives is far from gleaming, this fall season boasts one of the richest and most varied batch of films yet to dramatize the struggles of gay and transgendered people.

I wish there were more gay stories and I do think that that’s happening.

Ellen Page

It can be overly optimistic to take any seasonal trend as a sign of wider industry progress, and studies have confirmed that Hollywood continues to lag in representing the diversity of its audiences. But in a year marked by significant advancement for gay rights, many, like Page, are buoyed by the upswing in this fall’s films — movies that add more lesbian and transgender stories to the indelible, but largely male movies that have come before.

That does seem like something that’s getting a lot stronger, thankfully — a voice that’s getting stronger, a community that’s getting stronger.

Ellen Page

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