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.

Featuring innovative rotoscope animation and new interviews with Lady Gaga, Billy Porter, Questlove and Dionne Warwick, I Was Born This Way paints a joyful portrait of Bean, his unconventional path and his impactful mission of love.—Andrea Passafiume

Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard