To celebrate Pride Month, the newly branded Max (formerly HBO Max) is celebrating LGBTQ+ stories centered around queer joy, love, community and authentic storytelling under their initiative titled, “Human by Orientation”.

The initiative not only celebrates and amplifies queer voices and stories through year-round programming, but also creates cultural moments including exclusive music performances, comedy specials and custom video series featuring queer creators.

On June 17, Max broadcasts Night Out, a Pride celebration concert at Knockdown Center in Queens, New York which celebrates the impact of queer musicians and the safe havens provided by queer clubs. The concert features musical performances by ‘Tinashe’, ‘Lido Pimienta’, ‘Pom Pom Squad’, ‘Zebra Katz’, and more.

One of the most highly anticipated programming for Pride month is the streaming premiere of the documentary, The Stroll, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Directed by Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker, the film tells the story of an important part of Manhattan through the lens of transgender women of color – a demographic whose livelihood was heavily impacted by the escalation of police harassment and gentrification in the region. Having moved to New York City in the 1990s, Lovell describes in the documentary how she witnessed many trans women soliciting sexual favors in a portion of the district known as ‘The Stroll’, and those encounters inspired her to explore in this film how sex work is rooted in the legacy of trans women.

Other programming to look out for on Max while you’re celebrating Pride month includes:

 

Rock Hudson: All That Heavens Allowed

The new biography of renowned actor Rock Hudson is a relevant investigation of Hollywood and LGBTQ+ identity, following the secret life of the star to reveal his private life as a gay man.

 

Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music

This documentary captures Taylor Mac’s exuberant, blatantly gay 24-hour musical performance in New York City, featuring skilled musicians, creative costumes, and the American myth as recounted through sailor’s ditties, disco, and sugary pop music.

 

John Early: Now More Than Ever

The gay actor-comedian John Early, performs his latest set of silly, surreal, spontaneous stand-up in front of a live audience in Brooklyn, backed up by his fictional band, The Lemon Squares.

 

And Just Like That…

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon came out as gay when the original series ended, and her character Miranda also came out as gay in the first season of the popular 2021 spin-off series. In the second season of the show returning during Pride month, Miranda continues to explore her sexuality and her first gay relationship with Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez).

 

The Other Two

The popular series returns for its third season with a new storyline doubling down on its portrayal of what it’s like to be a gay man living in a big city. The story focuses on Cary (Drew Tarver) landing a voice role in a new Disney animated movie which is described as Disney’s “first unapologetically queer character”. The satire pokes fun at ‘wokeness’, as Cary tries to sell the ridiculous notion that his character Globby – “a proud, queer sac of mucous’ in the fictitious film Haunted Buddies – is an important step for queer rights when it’s clear he’s just carried away with all the queer attention.

 

Swiping America

The new dating series described as a “romantic documentary” takes a group of single contestants – including one gay and one non-binary character – across the country to help them find their perfect match.

 

To keep celebrating Pride month, check out other new and iconic content from Max’s library of authentic queer storytelling, including Trixie Motel, I Am Jazz, Our Flag Means Death, Nate & Jeremiah Home Project, 90 Day Fiancé: Love in Paradise and Home Werk, a curated catalog of episodes of the reality show House Hunters, highlighting same sex couples looking for their dream home.

More information can be found on: https://play.max.com/editorial/lgbtq-pride