Since 2016, with the theatrical release of Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award-winning feature Moonlight, American queer cinema appears to have undergone rapid, even startling changes, moving swiftly from the margins to the mainstream. However, a brief survey of the history of queer cinema in the United States reveals that, in various forms, this shift has actually been underway for decades. Now that it would appear to be nearly complete, it is important to ask not only what has been gained, but also what might be lost, by this mainstreaming of what had appeared to be a firmly outsider category. This article considers the ramifications of the mainstreaming of American queer cinema, examining the position of several key films within the larger cinematic and social landscape. It argues that divergent political viewpoints on the mainstreaming of queer film can—if not be reconciled—at least work in tandem with one another.
