For most of her fans, Lady Gaga’s Grammy-nominated song “Born This Way” felt like a love letter to her queer followers. An acknowledgement that she saw and heard them and shared their feelings of affection. What many didn’t realize was that Gaga’s song, co-written with gay singer/songwriter Jeppe Laursen, had roots that reached back more than 30 years.

“I Was Born This Way” (Junge Films), co-directed by Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, is both a musical history lesson and a long-overdue tribute to the late Archbishop Carl Bean, a gay singer, LGBTQ activist, and member of the clergy. The doc opens with Billy Porter (who is also interviewed throughout) paying a visit to the apartment of Chris Jones, who has the original “I Was Born This Way” master tapes. Chris’ late mother, Bunny, was a beautician with numerous gay people in her life, and she wrote the lyrics to the song, “I Was Born This Way,” recorded in 1975 by Charles Valentine. Two years later, at the bequest of Berry Gordy, Carl Bean was enlisted to re-record the song for Motown in a more disco-fied rendition, and a popular, gay, disco anthem was, well, born.

This is just a slice of Bean’s story, told by Bean (who passed in 2021 at 77), which began in Baltimore when he was born to a 15-year-old mother. Raised by his godparents, Harry and Mary, along with their daughter Martha (who is interviewed in the doc), Bean talked about how he knew he was different from other boys. A survivor of familial trauma and sexual molestation, it was Bean’s singing voice, noticed by neighbors and the people with whom he attended church, that earned him recognition.

Relocating to Los Angeles, Bean’s life was changed forever. In addition to his involvement in church choirs, he also became an outspoken advocate for queer black people in religious settings. Additionally, his early involvement in AIDS activism, including organizing a benefit at which Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Jennifer Holiday performed, was transformative

Junge and Pollard utilize various doc devices, including animation to depict moments from the past, vintage footage, and a multitude of interviews. Among the interview subjects are the aforementioned Lady Gaga, Billy Porter, and Dionne Warwick, as well as Questlove, singer Estelle Brown (of The Sweet Inspirations fame), Iris Gordy (of Motown Records), U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Michael Weinstein (president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation), and members of the clergy including Rev. Elder Leslie Burke, and Rt. Beatitude Zachary Jones, among many others

It's impossible to overstate the significant contributions that Carl Bean made to multiple communities, including LGBTQ, black, HIV/AIDS, activist, and faith. To their credit, Junge and Pollard give Bean his due and provide viewers with an unforgettable portrait of a life well-lived. 

Rating: A-