9 gay AF cowboy movies to make your heart giddy-up & where to watch them

There can never be too many movies about gay cowboys

Between all the buzz about the Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke starring short film A Strange Way of Life, Benedict Cumberbatch playing a closeted gay cowboy in The Power of the Dog, and the transgressive gay classic Midnight Cowboy, Hollywood can’t get enough of gay cowboys and neither can we.

While there are some genuinely amazing westerns out there — think The Treasure of the Sierra Madre or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — they can sometimes feel formulaic, but add in a gay character or queer love story, and we are in! From the quintessential gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain to older films like Midnight Cowboy, there is something for everyone.

So, if you're looking for a little more giddy-up in your queer cinema, here are nine gay-AF cowboy movies to occupy your time!

A Strange Way of Life

A Strange Way of Life

Sony Picture Classics

How gay is it? It's a movie about two gay lovers, full of intimate moments and multiple sex scenes.

Synopsis: A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen.

Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain

Focus Features

How gay is it? Super gay, but we probably don't need to explain that with this film.

Synopsis: Rodeo cowboy Jack and ranch hand Ennis are hired as sheepherders in 1963 Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, they spark a physical relationship. Though Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart and Jack marries a fellow rodeo rider, they keep up their tortured, sporadic love affair for 20 years.

Where to watch: rent on Amazon Prime

The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog

Netflix

How gay is it? Benedict Cumberbatch plays a closeted gay cowboy.

Synopsis: A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son — until long-hidden secrets come to light. Oscar winner Jane Campion's acclaimed Western stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Where to watch: Netflix

Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy

Everett Collection

How gay is it? It's a proto-queer buddy movie that may be a little on the homophobic side by today's standards. However, in it, Jon Voight plays a hustler who is having trouble finding female clients, so he starts servicing men. It was also directed by gay director John Schlesinger, who was closeted at the time.

Synopsis: When Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a good-looking, naively charming Texas 'cowboy' makes his way to the Big Apple to seek his fortune, the only wealth he finds is in the friendship of Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a sleazy, small-time con man with big dreams.

Where to watch: Tubi

Red River

Red River

How gay is it? While the homosexuality isn't explicit — it was made in 1948 — there are plenty of homoerotic moments, including a scene where two men are comparing gun sizes and fondling their weapons. Plus, one of the cowboy's names is Cherry Valance; I mean, c'mon.

Synopsis: Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny led by his adopted son. Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri.

Where to watch: Tubi

My Own Private Idaho

My Own Private Idaho

How gay is it? River Phoenix plays a gay hustler who confesses his love to his friend Scott.

Synopsis: In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon, to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way, they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

Where to watch: rent on Amazon Prime

Cowboys

Cowboys

Samuel Goldwyn Films

How gay is it? It's a transgender boy's coming-of-age story.

Synopsis: Separated from his wife, a well-intentioned father runs off with his transgender son into the Montana wilderness.

Where to watch: Tubi

Lonesome

Lonesome

Peccadillo Pictures

How gay is it? Super gay. The film follows a gay man's exploration of his sexuality and his struggle to reconcile his identity in a world that doesn’t understand it.

Synopsis: The film follows a cowboy named Casey (Josh Lavery), who escapes his conservative rural hometown for the more progressive attitudes of Sydney after his gay affair is discovered. There, he meets a man named Tib (Daniel Gabriel), and together they try to overcome their profound loneliness and isolation.

Where to watch: Here TV

National Anthem

National Anthem

Vortex Media

How gay is it? Beautifully, unapologetically, and magically gay. A young man finds love and family by joining a gay rodeo.

Synopsis: Charlie Plummer plays Dylan, a construction worker who dreams of escaping his life and exploring the world in an RV. His life takes a turn when he takes a job at the “House of Splendor,” a ranch run by and populated with queer rodeo riders. There, he falls for a beautiful trans woman named Sky (Eve Lindley) and begins to confront his identity in new and illuminating ways.

Where to watch: Hulu