Just in time for when Pride Month begins in June, FX has debuted the first trailer for the six-part docuseriesPridethat will show over two weeks starting on May 14. The series had beeninitially announced back in March, though now it has a full trailer that offers a harrowing glimpse at how the road to some of the biggest victories for LGBTQ+ civil rights had to be fought for in the face of state-sanctioned repression.
The series is set to chronicle some of the early struggles for LGBTQ+ civil rights in America from the 1950s through the 2000s. In addition to showing the courage and bravery of those fighting for their rights, it also shows the subsequent backlash they had to overcome. This includes the FBI surveillance of homosexuals during the 1950s Lavender Scare to the “Culture Wars” of the 1990s. The docuseries says it is built around “exploring the queer legacy of the Civil Rights movement and the battle over marriage equality.”
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Most notably, each individual part is being directed by LGBTQ+ directorsTom Kalin,AndrewAhn,Cheryl Dunye,Anthony Caronna,Alex Smith,Yance FordandRo Haber. Ahn himself recently directed the bittersweet 2020 filmDriveways. His first film, 2019’sSpa Night, was one Collider praised as beingpraised as an “impressive debut feature.”
The series will highlight historic figures such asMadeleine Tress, videographerNelson Sullivan,Bayard Rustin, writerAudre Lord, SenatorsTammy BaldwinandLester Hunt, as well as trans pioneersChristine Jorgensen,Flawless Sabrina,Ceyenne Doroshow,Susan Stryker,Kate Bornstein,Dean SpadeandRaquel Willis.
The scope of history covered in the series is also remarkable as it traces the roots of LGBTQ+ history through the Lavender Scare, Stonewall, the AIDS crisis, the “Culture Wars'' and the battle for marriage equality. It gives voice to the historic figures that had to struggle to get the most basic protections and ensure they could be viewed as full people deserving of all their rights under the law. The parallels to our present moment are all too similar.
The series also looks to tackle the issue of whether visibility for some is truly enough. The final episode, “2000s: Y2Gay,” is about how there was increased visibility for gays and lesbians, while fights for trans rights were still ongoing. It is the closest the series gets to our present moment, though the struggles to protect trans rights that are under threat across the country remain an ever-important topic facing the community.
You can watch a full trailer below. It will premiere its first three episodes back-to-back on May 14 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the final three episodes on May 21 at 8 p.m. ET on FX. All of the episodes will be available the day after premiering on FX on Hulu.
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