I Was Born This Way 

(dirs. Daniel Junge & Sam Pollard)

By: Adam Freed

The name Carl Bean may not resonate with most people with a fervor that matches his seismic impact on the concentric circles of music, religion, culture and the LGBTQ movement.  The multihyphenate recording star and archbishop passed away in 2021, yet left behind an immense and welcoming trail for Americans of all sizes, shapes, colors, orientations and creeds.  Carl Bean’s influential and often turbulent life is captured in laudable detail by directors Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard in the emotionally charged documentary I Was Born This Way. The film’s title comes from Bean’s anthemic disco track, which became the drumbeat of the early Pride movement in the 1970’s.  If the title of the documentary sounds familiar, it is because Bean’s powerhouse statement of a song has been reworked and repurposed for a 21st century audience by Lady Gaga (A Star is Born).  The Gaga performed dance pop track has earned over 700,000,000 streams on Spotify, validating the song’s message.  The lasting popularity of Bean’s original 1977 track, and Gaga’s revisit is proof positive that there is a healthy appetite for sexual and identity equality in the United States regardless of what hate-based movements may temporarily bubble to America’s surface. 

In addition to the appearance of Lady Gaga, I Was Born This Way features interviews from globally recognized musical icons such as Questlove, Billy Porter (Pose, Big Mouth) and Dionne Warrick, all of whom attest to the musical and cultural impact of Bean’s work as a musician.  Thankfully though, directors Junge and Pollard do not limit their documentary to the forward facing draw of popular music.  Perhaps Carl Bean’s greatest accomplishment was done without the employment of his notable melodious gifts.  By the early 80’s, the HIV/AIDS crisis was running rampant to the LGBTQ community, and Bean knew that many of the young men and women that had been lifted by the spirit of liberation in the 70’s were now, less than a decade later, being victimized by a virus with no answers.  It was in this moment that Carl Bean realized that his greatest hill to climb would be to offer his community a path towards fellowship and religion.  Traditional Christian beliefs had not been, at least in Bean’s Baltimore upbringing, welcoming to the gay community.  The community leader decided it was time for that to change.  Bean, and a team of like-minded, religiously inspired individuals formed Unity Church, once again blazing a trail for members of his community to feel the warmth of acceptance and a welcoming embrace, even on Sundays.   Just as history has demonstrated the need to stand upon the shoulders of giants in order to achieve true progress, the work of Carl Bean, both musically and spiritually, is today the building block of much of the social change that has benefitted countless American families.  Although his impact may no longer be as visible, Carl Bean is a trailblazer who is sure to echo in eternity. 

Target Score: 8/10 - I Was Born This Way is an enlightening and captivating documentary from filmmakers Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard.  The film tells the story of American singer and religious figurehead Carl Bean, who instilled in the LGBTQ community a sense of pride and belonging through his decades of work.

I Was Born This Way is included in Movie Archer’s coverage of the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival