NYC Film Locations: LGBTQ+ Edition

New York City has inspired many fiction and non-fiction scripts of different genres written for television and cinema over the decades. With queer culture, it wouldn't be different. The city where the gay rights movement started has been the scenario of incredible stories, like Pose, The L World, Carol, and The Boys in the Band. 

We listed eight tv shows and movies set in New York City with LGBTQ+ characters and stories to create this special guide for you. So whether you're planning to visit NYC soon or you live here, you can now check this list and visit locations of your favorite queer film! 

Rent

In the movie adaptation of this Broadway musical, a group of New Yorkers struggle with their careers, love lives, and the effects of the AIDS epidemic on their community during the 1990s. As it's common in film productions, most shots were filmed inside the studio in Los Angeles, but New York City appears in many exterior shots. 

In one special scene, when they are performing La Vie Boheme, half of the cast appears outside the Vazac's Horseshoe Bar, 108 East 7th Street and Avenue B, Manhattan. 

Paris is Burning

This documentary directed by Jennie Livingston introduced us to Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Angie Xtravaganza, the fashion houses, voguing, and New York City ballroom culture. 

The Imperial Lodge of Elks featured in the documentary was converted into a church in 1997 and is now occupied by the Faith Mission Christian Fellowship Church. The original molding, balcony, and stage are still intact inside. The church is located at 160-164 West 129th Street and Malcolm X Blvd, Harlem. 

Carol

The beautiful and sad history of two lesbians living a secret romance in the 1950s, with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, was shot in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, you can still visit the store where their characters first met. 

Yes, we are talking about Bloomingdale's. The store has been at the same Art Deco building on 59th street since the 1930s.

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

Before taking the road and crossing the country, Noxeema (Wesley Snipes) and Vida (Patrick Swayze) start the movie at a pageant at Webster Hall in New York. That's where the reigning queen, played by RuPaul, shows up wearing an ironic confederate flag dress. 

Webster Hall is still one of the main venues in New York City for underground, independent, and queer artists. You can check their calendar online! 

The Boys in The Band (1970 and 2020)

The play The Boys in The Band was adapted for movie theaters twice. The first film, released in 1970, explores more New York City than the latest version produced by Ryan Murphy. 

For the first movie, they used a brownstone at 136 East 65th Street as Michael's apartment in Manhattan. The balcony scene was shot on 61st Street, and the hotel scene took place in The Sherry-Netherland Hotel, at 781 5th Avenue, near Central Park. 

The second movie was mainly shot inside a studio in Los Angeles, but you can see Julius's Bar in one of the scenes, considered the first gay bar in New York City. Julius' is located at 159 West 10th Street. 

Will and Grace

This is another case of a story set in New York but shot mainly inside a studio in Los Angeles. However, you can visit Grace's Design Studio in Soho. The producers used the exterior of the Puck Building, at 295 Lafayette St, to represent Grace's workplace.

Will's apartment is located on the 9th floor of 155 Riverside Drive in the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York - the apartment is known for renting the space for different productions. 

Credit: Rob Young

Orange is The New Black 

The Netflix show was shot at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens and had a few scenes around New York City. In Episode 3 of Season 1, we see Piper and Alex meeting each other for the first time at The Sparrow Tavern in Astoria. Unfortunately, the location was closed during the pandemic, but the bar's facade remains. 

Pose 

The list of NYC locations used in Pose is quite long. For example, ball Patron's Restaurant scenes were all done at Chelsea Square Restaurant (368 W 23rd Street). In addition, they used the United Palace Theatre (4140 Broadway) for ballroom scenes and the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Pkwy) for the iconic robbery scene in the first episode.

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