2023 PBS National Programs

In celebration of LGBTQIA history, WEDU PBS invites you to dive into the powerful and unique accomplishments and impacts of LGBTQIA individuals throughout history and today. Below you will find national PBS programming that shares the moving, educational, and inspiring stories of the LGBTQIA community:

Friday, June 2 | WEDU

American Master Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll | 9 p.m.

Featuring stellar interviewees, including Ringo Starr, Keith Richards, Nile Rodgers, and Big Freesia, alongside intimate contributions from friends and bandmates and the never-before-broadcast words of Little Richard himself, this feature-length documentary tells the story of a rollercoaster life; of musical highs and knuckle-biting lows, and makes the case that Richard should be crowned the king – and queen – of rock ‘n’ roll.

Tuesday, June 20 | WEDU

Independent Lens: Mama Bears | 10 p.m.

They call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights.  Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGTBQ+ people, these mothers are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to champion their kids—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds.

The Committee | 11:30 p.m.

The Committee is a documentary film about the little-known Florida Legislative Investigative Committee of the State Legislature from 1956-1965. Florida Senator Charley Johns chaired the committee, and it aimed to root out communist and homosexual teachers and students from state universities. It was successful in either firing or expelling more than 200 suspected gay and lesbian citizens.

Thursday, June 23 | WEDU

American Masters: Ballerina Boys | 11 p.m.

Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step, they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.

Tuesday, June 27 | WEDU

American Experience: Casa Susanna | 9 p.m.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe place to express their true selves and live for a few days as they had always dreamed. Told through the memories of those whose visits to the house would change their lives, the film provides a moving look back at a secret world where the persecuted and frightened found freedom, acceptance, and, often, the courage to live their lives out of the shadows.

Friday, June 30 | WEDU

American Masters: James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket | 11 p.m.

The life, works, and beliefs of the late writer and civil rights activist are recounted: what it is to be born black, impoverished, gifted, and gay in a world that has yet to understand that “all men are brothers.” James Baldwin tells his own story in this emotional portrait