Film

I Was Born This Way

2025 · 1h 40m · Documentary · Music

Love is for everyone!

Rotten Tomatoes

100%

Surviving childhood abuse during his upbringing in Baltimore, Archbishop Carl Bean forged a path to New York and Hollywood to do the one thing he knew he was put on earth to do: sing. Making his mark first as a gospel singer, Bean got the break of his life when Motown tapped him in 1977 to record the disco song “I Was Born This Way,” which quickly became the first gay anthem at a time when it was uncommon to be out and proud. When the AIDS crisis hit, however, Bean soon found himself drawn to a different calling: compassionate activism. Instead of pursuing the momentum of his promising music career, he founded the Minority AIDS Project and the Unity Fellowship Church — the first LGBTQ+ church for people of color.

Carl Bean

Self (archive footage)

Billy Porter

Self

Questlove

Self

Lady Gaga

Self

Dionne Warwick

Self

Maxine Waters

Self

• Sam PollardDirector
• Daniel JungeDirector · Producer
• Jed AlanDirector of Photography · Producer
• Wellington LoveProducer
• QuestloveExecutive Producer
• Billy PorterExecutive Producer
• Jamie Lee CurtisExecutive Producer
• Joshua A. GreenExecutive Producer
• Jerry HenryDirector of Photography
• John Jennings BoydOriginal Music Composer

I Was Born This Way Official Tribeca Teaser

Release date

June 5, 2025

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

1h 40m

Genres

Documentary, Music