Gay Sex Scenes That Made Movie History

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
This Brazilian/American co-production, directed by Hector Babenco, is based on the Manuel Puig novel. It tells the story of Valentin Arregui, a political prisoner played by Raul Julia, and his cellmate, Luis Molina, a gay man played by William Hurt. Hurt won the Academy Award for best actor that year, and the film itself was nominated for best film, best director, and more.

Raul Julia (left) and William Hurt

While the narrative style of the film is complex, as is the relationship between the two men, one of the central scenes involves them having sex. Even though the act itself fades to black, its thematic importance was unequivocal.

Reviews of the film at the time focused on Hurt's "courage" in playing the role, and it was the first time an actor playing an openly gay character received the Oscar. He also won best actor awards from BAFTA and at Cannes for the role.

Hotness: 2
Romance: 5
Significance: 9

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Laundrette was released in New York City the same weekend that Merchant-Ivory's A Room With a View premiered. Both films were British and starred Daniel Day-Lewis, playing roles so opposite each other that it was almost impossible to believe one actor played them both.

In Laundrette, Day-Lewis plays a working class British punk named Johnny who pairs up with Omar, his lover from their teenage years, in opening a laundrette with stolen money. The film, directed by Stephen Frears, opens with a fairly straightforward story about Omar, the Pakistani-born son of an alcoholic journalist. He's struggling to make his way and find his identity inside his extended family and his adopted country.

The film takes a sudden turn for the unexpected, however, when Omar's car gets stopped one night by a gang of white supremacists thugs. He gets out of the car and walks up to the apparent leader of the pack (Day-Lewis), who is lounging against a nearby wall.

"It's me," he tells him.

Johnny's face breaks into a twisted smile. "I know who it is." The two men drive off together, to the confusion of Johnny's mates, and then, without any form of foreshadowing, kiss in the shadow of a building. Audiences at the film's opening gasped.

In a very beautiful and poignant scene set on the day of the opening of the laundrette, Johnny and Omar make love in the tiny office. The scene, in which Omar drinks champagne from Johnny's mouth, was both erotic and romantic, and their sexual bond continued to be an important part of the film. Towards the film's end, when Omar's cousin challenges Johnny about the way Omar treats him and asks him to come away with her, Johnny tells her no; he's staying with Omar. She warns him that their family won't let that happen, and he tells her he'll stay with his friend and "fight it out," adding, "You wouldn't understand; you haven't touched him."

Hotness: 8
Romance: 9
Significance: 8

Buddies (1985)
This film somewhat defies the criterion used for this overview, because it had only the most limited gay film festival release. But its significance is enormous: This is the first feature film about AIDS. It includes a scene in which a hospitalized, dying man and his volunteer "AIDS buddy" have a very simple sexual encounter. It was amazing in what it said about the power of touch at a time when the idea of touching someone with AIDS, especially sexually, was very controversial.

Although other films, such as Parting Glances, Longtime Companion and even the sexually sterile Philadelphia, have endured the test of time much better than Buddies, it was undeniably groundbreaking. It was written and directed by Arthur Bressan Jr., who died of AIDS two years later.

Hotness: 2
Romance: 2
Significance: 10