Because films that tackle the future of homosexuality are extremely hard to slot into nonfiction literature on the topic, I treat them separately. The way films address the gay future is remarkably varied, which likely stems in part from the idea that the future as a subject is like a blank canvas — wholly open to human hopes, fears, and speculation.
This versatility already shows up in the genres: there are provocative documentary-dramas (“Not the Homosexual Is Perverse, but the Situation He Lives In”, 1971), entertaining comedies (“The Sleeper”, 1973), and dystopias set against futuristic backdrops (“Metropolis 2000”, 1982). Visions of the future can be utopian or dystopian. Films can present an idealized future in which humanity has solved its problems, or a troubling future that serves as a warning for the present.
Raus aus den Klappen, rein in die Straßen (Out of the Closets, into the Streets! — Rosa von Praunheim, 1971/1998)
In the fall of 1969, Section 175 of the German Criminal Code was meaningfully reformed, and homosexual acts between adult men were no longer criminalized. Rosa von Praunheim’s film “Not the Homosexual Is Perverse, but the Situation He Lives In” (1971) engages with the future of gay people to the extent that the closing scene (from 54:00) calls for political self-organization. Among other things, this call helped turn the film into a major catalyst for the modern German gay and lesbian movement. The slogan “Out of the closets, into the streets!” became a central chant of the early gay rights movement and was popularized by the film.
Von Praunheim continued to engage with the history of the gay movement throughout his career. In his film “Gay Courage: 100 Years of the Gay Movement” (1998) he not only examines the gay past but also the future. He cites San Francisco as a model for a “gay future.” The film ends with the line: “Thank you, San Francisco, for a gay future that is unthinkable without gay history. I wish you all the best for the next 100 years.”
Woody Allen meets a gay robot in the year 2170 (“The Sleeper”, 1973)
In the Woody Allen film “The Sleeper” (1973), Miles Monroe (played by Allen) is revived after a two-century-long artificial deep sleep. What Monroe experiences in the 22nd century is presented by Allen as a satirical comedy or a science-fiction parody. Included is a roughly two-minute scene in which Monroe encounters a stereotypically depicted gay man. This character lives in an elegant setting, has a stylish interior design, speaks in a slightly higher pitched voice, seeks physical contact with Monroe, and moves in a rather feminine way. He appears to live with another man. Then a Reagan-voice retracts, and an equally clichéd gay robot wearing an apron, with a perky gesture and a hip-swaying walk, arrives on the scene.
These moments are typical of Woody Allen’s satirical humor, which does not claim to portray reality. Depending on one’s perception, his portrayal can be entertaining and liberating by breaking taboos, or it can come off as negative-stereotypical. Such stereotypes became rarer in films of earlier decades, though they are still present in works like “The Canoe of Manitou” (2025).
A bisexual alien (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, 1975)
The film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) is a “bizarre grotesque pop parody of horror, monster, science-fiction, and musical films” and a milestone of the 1970s (as noted in the “Lexikon des internationalen Films”). The central character is the bisexual Dr. Frank N. Furter, always dressed in corsets and stockings, with high heels. The movie includes several science-fiction elements, among them the opening song “Science Fiction / Double Feature.” At the end, Riff Raff and Magenta reveal themselves as aliens from the planet “Transsexual,” the castle turns into a spaceship, and it blasts off into space.
The film carries a powerful message about sexual liberation, individuality, and accepting one’s own sexuality. Its core line—“Don’t dream it, be it”—summarizes its ethos. The film challenges societal norms around gender, clothing, and behavior, as well as the heteronormative bourgeois world (represented by Brad and Janet), with the bisexuality of Frank N. Furter foregrounded as a central theme.
“Metropolis 2000” (1982)
The Italian action film “Metropolis 2000” (1982) depicts a postapocalyptic world following a nuclear war. Its hero is the lone fighter Scorpion, who in 2019 struggles to protect peaceful people. His antagonist is One, the leader of a brutal gang called the “Templers.” In a scene (54–56 minutes), it is suggested that the imprisoned Scorpion is about to be captured and subjected to anal rape by One.
The characters and plot concentrate on action, violence, and a straightforward good-versus-evil dynamic. By design, sexual violence is used as a power display, and it is the only explicit reference to sexuality. Aside from these two minutes there are virtually no indications of homosexuality, which means I disagree with Hermann J. Huber’s assessment in “Violence and Passion: The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality in Film and Video” (1989, p. 121), where he labels the film denigrating. He does not offer positive words about the film, yet the scene is too brief and unclear to function as a true denigration. Since the protagonist is heterosexual and the villain appears to be homosexual, the film is labeled as denigrating by “Out in the Cinema: The Lesbian and Gay Film Lexicon” (2003, pp. 248–249). That designation seems overstated, given how brief and ambiguous the scene is.
“Caught Looking” (1991)
In the British short film “Caught Looking” (1991, 35 minutes), gay Steven experiences his sexual fantasies through an interactive virtual-reality game called “Caught Looking” and steers his virtual alter ego through a series of scenarios on his screen. The virtual encounters he experiences or contemplates include meetings with sailors, a bearded “clone,” sex in a public restroom, and scenes reminiscent of 1950s muscle-film erotica.
The film offers a smart, nostalgic reflection on the evolving gay cruising culture of past eras, deftly blending color, black-and-white, and sepia-toned footage. In the narration, where the “real” Steven comments ironically from off-screen, the film is humorous and subversive. Made before widespread Internet use, it presages the rise of online dating. The Internet did not become a mass medium until the mid-1990s; the World Wide Web, starting in 1993, caused user numbers to explode from 1997 onward. The 1991 film was rightly awarded the Teddy Award for Best Gay Short in 1992 and remains worth watching today.
“Gayniggers from Outer Space” (1992)
The Danish science fiction short film “Gayniggers from Outer Space” (1992, 28 minutes) is a satirical blaxploitation parody about a group of intergalactic black homosexuals from the planet “Anus.” While traveling through the galaxy, the crew discovers that Earth is home to female beings who oppress men. Using ray weapons, they systematically eradicate all the women on the planet in order to free the men and establish a fully homosexual society. Before leaving Earth, they appoint a “gay ambassador” to educate the remaining humans about their new way of life.
The film is a low-budget comedy that plays with clichés and politically incorrect humor.
“Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma” (1995)
The private detective Lipton Cockton is the protagonist of the Finnish noir film “Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma” (1995). The story unfolds in 2037, largely in the dystopian metropolis of Vladivostok. The “Shadows of Sodom” in the title allude to the biblical city of Sodom that was destroyed by God. One scene takes place in a gay leather bar where Lipton Cockton is assaulted by men. Notably, the detective always has his rooster with him.
As a fighting rooster, this figure references toxic masculinity; it also bears a phallic connotation (a cock), because Cockton even brings it into his bed and strokes it tenderly. The film is shot in a surreal, deranged style, offering absurd humor in a dark, oppressive atmosphere. Primarily, it explores life in a totalitarian world, while touching on themes of individuality and the sexual self-discovery of the protagonist.
“The Fifth Element” (1997)
The film “The Fifth Element” (1997) is a vivid, action-packed blend of comedy, science fiction, and adventure set in the 23rd century. It opens in an ancient Egyptian temple, where an archaeologist uncovers inscriptions about an unfathomably evil force that returns every 5,000 years to threaten all life on Earth. The only weapon capable of stopping this evil comprises four stones representing the classic elements—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—and a mysterious fifth element. The two protagonists, the young Leeloo and former elite soldier Korben Dallas, endeavor to locate the four elemental stones to save the planet.
In a supporting role is the flamboyant and dazzling Ruby Rhod, who, because of his appearance and clothing, can be considered gender-fluid. He is attended by a retinue of male admirers, but is also desired by women. Ruby Rhod’s portrayal clearly breaks with traditional gender stereotypes typical of mainstream action films and contributes to the diversity of the futuristic world shown in the film. While not the film’s main focus, diversity is thus experienced as a facet of life in the 23rd century.
The Gay Future on The Simpsons (1995–2012)
Several episodes of the American animated series The Simpsons take place in the future and allow for multiple possible trajectories of how the characters might evolve. In one future variant, Rod and Todd become young gay men who come out (2000, season 11, episode 11). Martin Prince later calls himself Martia Princess and may have undergone a gender-affirming operation (2011, season 23, episode 9). There are two different future versions of Smithers. In one, he remains in love with Mr. Burns (1995, season 6, episode 19). In another, he emphasizes: “I’m straight—as long as I’m giving myself this shot every ten minutes,” followed by him injecting and shouting, “I love boobs” (2005, season 16, episode 15), which serves as a sly parody of conversion therapies. Lisa also appears in future visions in which she is seen in a family photo with two women, suggesting a same-sex relationship (2011, season 23, episode 9). Some characters are shown with affinities for queer robots. At a ball filled with couples, Martin Prince dances with a male robot and asks him, “Have you got plans for life after school?” (2005, season 16, episode 15). The lesbian Patty is paired with her female partner, while her heterosexual sister Selma is with her male love robot. The two love robots appear to be heterosexual and share a joint, fantastical chase (2011, season 23, episode 9). Two other robots become gay after engaging with Thomas Mann’s novella Death in Venice (2012, season 23, episode 17).
The queer hints in the future episodes of The Simpsons thrive on the show’s characteristic humor, carried by a gentle, perceptive sensibility and paired with understated political satire. The idea of gay and lesbian love robots is not new, but the series playfully expands on it in inventive ways.
Six Short Films Since 2000
My piece was originally intended to conclude with the year 2000. Of the many short films since then that address a gay future, I want to highlight six particularly creative examples.
“Hirsute” (2007, 14 min) follows the gay scientist Kyle, who is visited by his future self. The film uses time travel to explore questions of self-acceptance and personal growth for its characters.
In “Hirsute,” Kyle meets his future self
In “Utopies” (2012, 21 min), Thomas and Julien explore the suburbs of Paris, with some avant-garde architecture as a backdrop. The forward-looking architecture is linked to the young men’s partly undefined personal utopias.
In “The Invention” (2013, 14 min), a man encounters a student who is working on a time machine. The title nods to invention and imagination, both of which apply to the machine and to the sex between the two men—perhaps only existing in fantasy.
In “Closets” (2015, 19 min., trailer available online) sixteen-year-old Henry isolates himself in his bedroom in 1986. When he finally exits the closet, thirty years have passed and he encounters Ben, who now lives in the same room thirty years later; they discuss past and present issues together.
In “Pink Moon” (2015, 17 min.), a dystopian society persecutes heterosexuals, making the heteronormative world a queer-normative one, with even the Moon appearing in a pink color representing gay political symbolism.
In “In Another Time” (2025, 17 min.), two unfamiliar men in a hotel room meet—one lives in 1944 and the other in 2024. It is a tragic yet romantic time-travel love story, in which the novel The Time Machine also plays a role.
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Conclusion
Some conceptions of the gay future can be compared across centuries. They include different utopias or dystopias about free love (see 1820, 1904, 1907) and about same-sex marriage (see 1869, 1976). There are also visions of shared living and community, as seen in desires for a homoerotic male order (1920), gay housing communes (1970, 1971), and queer housing projects (1997). Sometimes the same tools are used to highlight oppression by playfully reversing the social orders of Homo- and Heterosexuals in the future—such as in the comic “Gay Liberation” (1975) and the short film “Pink Moon” (2015).
Statements about the future always say something about the era in which they were created. This starts with terminology: at first it was almost exclusively about gay men, labeling them as “Homos” and “Gays,” and only later did it encompass both gay men and lesbians (the term “queer” did not enter mainstream discourse until the 21st century). Some pieces from the Wilhelmine era and the 1950s likewise reveal the particularly arduous emancipation struggles and the isolation of homosexual men.
Engaging with earlier visions of a gay future is, for me, not only a matter of historical interest. Contemplating the question of a gay future can provide guidance in a turbulent, ever-changing world, helping to actively shape the future, make sound decisions in the here and now, and not merely wait passively for developments.
