12 Things to Watch for Pride Month on WTTW

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and throughout the month, WTTW will feature a diverse lineup of programming exploring stories of identity, acceptance, struggle, and artistic expression. This month features two new programs, including a new Independent Lens on an artistic exhibit on Black and queer resistance, and the story of Jim Franklin, the legendary concert poster artist who is credited with making Austin “weird.” Be sure to check the schedule links for additional airtimes. 

From Fear to Hope: The HIV and AIDS Journey

Sunday, June 7 at 4:00 pm on WTTW Prime
In the early 1980s, a mysterious wave of illnesses emerged. Strange infections. Rare cancers. Mostly in young men. Doctors were baffled. Families were terrified. And an entire community began to lose many of its own. What started as confusion turned to crisis; tens of thousands would die stigmatized and forgotten in one of the most devastating public health emergencies of our time. This film tells the story of how it began and how it changed everything.

Stonewall Uprising: American Experience

Sunday, June 7 at 8:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Stonewall Uprising explores the dramatic event that launched a worldwide rights movement. Told by those who took part, from drag queens and street hustlers to police detectives, journalists and a former mayor of New York, and featuring a rich trove of archival footage, this film revisits a time when homosexual acts were illegal throughout America, and homosexuality itself was seen as a form of mental illness. 

Justly Wed: Stories from the Marriage Equality Movement

Monday, June 8 at 12:00 pm on WTTW Prime
This film investigates the struggle for marriage equality, by looking back at the momentous 2004 decision by San Francisco to begin to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Told through the intimate recollections of four couples at the time, it gives a rarely seen glimpse into the impact and legacy of this watershed moment in American history.

Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story

Sunday, June 14 at 4:00 pm on WTTW Prime
This film intimately documents the life and career of two-time Olympian Randy Gardner. Together with his Olympic partner Tai Babilonia, they formed the iconic figure skating pairs team known as Tai and Randy. The film shares one man's quest to finally come to terms with his true identity so that he can be a light to others.

Chicago Stories: The Outrage of Danny Sotomayor

Saturday, June 20 at 5:00 pm on WTTW
Fiery openly gay AIDS activist and political cartoonist Danny Sotomayor used civil disobedience to wage war on city officials who marginalized the LGBTQ community and ignored the AIDS crisis, while fighting a losing battle with the disease himself. This program chronicles his courageous fight for equality. Explore the companion website and stream the full show any time. 

American Masters – Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 pm on WTTW
Discover the life of singer-songwriter Janis Ian and how she rose as a folk icon and gay rights advocate. She broke ground with “Society’s Child,” a bold take on interracial love, and “At Seventeen,” a searing anthem about bullying.

Prideland

Sunday, June 21 at 8:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Follow queer actor Dyllon Burnside on a journey across the South to meet diverse members of the LGBTQ community. From a lesbian rodeo champ in Texas to an African American mayor ally in Alabama, he discovers how LGBTQ Americans are finding ways to live authentically and with Pride in the modern South.

Out in Rural America

Sunday, June 21 at 9:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Out in Rural America explores the struggles and joys of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender queer in rural America. Following five stories from the LGBTQ+ community over a six-year period, the film explores the issues of self-doubt, discrimination, acceptance and small-town and Midwestern LGBTQ+ life from a cultural, social, familial, and religious perspective.

American Experience: Casa Susanna

Sunday, June 21 at 10:00 pm on WTTW Prime
In the 1950s and 60s, when failure to wear gender-appropriate clothing was illegal across most of the country, a community of cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills region of New York. Named after its matriarch, Casa Susanna provided community and validation for its guests.

Independent Lens: Assembly

Monday, June 22 at 9:00 pm on WTTW 
Follow artist Rashaad Newsome as he prepares to showcase “Assembly,” a groundbreaking exhibit at New York’s Park Avenue Armory that honors Black and queer resistance and calls for a more liberated future.

Chicago Stories: House Music

Saturday, June 27 at 5:00 pm on WTTW
Chicago has long been known for nurturing diverse music genres and also, infamously, as a place where one of them died – disco. But another musical form rose from its ashes: house music. To mark the 40th anniversary of its invention, celebrate the innovative and catchy electronic dance music that still inspires prominent artists today including Charli XCX, Peggy Gou, Beyoncé, and Fisher, its origins in Chicago’s underground Black and gay clubs, and house music producers and DJs such as Frankie Knuckles who welcomed the marginalized into these safe spaces. Explore the companion website and stream the full show any time. 

Armadillo Man: The Trips of Jim Franklin 

Sunday, June 28 at 11:30 am on WTTW
This film tells the story of Jim Franklin, the legendary concert poster artist who helped establish the iconic Austin music venue Armadillo World Headquarters and is credited with making Austin “weird.” At the intersection of psychedelic art, outlaw country, and rebellion, Franklin’s larger-than-life personality helped define Austin’s 1970s counterculture scene. As the emcee at Armadillo World Headquarters, Franklin’s on-stage persona became as unforgettable as the acts he introduced, from Willie Nelson to Bruce Springsteen. But it was his armadillo-centric art that became the ultimate symbol of Austin’s artistic revolution.