Lions Gate Films / Courtesy Everett Collection Clea DuVall speaks to PEOPLE exclusively about the legacy of her movieBut I'm a Cheerleader, which came out in 2000 Jamie Babbit's romcom set at a gay conversion therapy camp has since been recognized as a cult favorite and trailblazer for LGBTQ+ representation Fans have approached DuVall to sayBut I'm a Cheerleaderhelped them come out and feel less alone, the actress-filmmaker says AsBut I'm a Cheerleadernears its 25th birthday, it's clearer than ever to starClea DuVallthat the cult classic maintains a powerful legacy for LGBTQ+ audiences — one much more impactful than she realized while making it. "We had no idea," she says of the film's status as a trailblazer. "We were just making this tiny little movie in Palmdale, California. We were all so young — just a bunch of little punks running around the set and giving [director Jamie Babbit] a hard time." A laugh-filled queer romcom set at a conversion therapy camp would be a daring venture in 2025, let alone 1999 when it was filmed. "Especially at that time, there were not a lot of people doing things like that," DuVall, 47, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue celebrating Pride month. "It was very ahead of its time." Directed by Babbit with a script from Brian Wayne Peterson,But I'm a CheerleaderstarredNatasha Lyonneas Megan, a high school cheerleader shocked to realize at a family's intervention that she may be a lesbian. DuVall played Graham, Megan's eventual love interest and the conversion therapy camp's bad girl. The comedy also starredRuPaul,Melanie Lynskey,Michelle Williams,Julie Delpy, Cathy Moriarty, Mink Stole and more. Although DuVall recalls that she "wasn't out" at the time — "the press cycle for that movie was brutal for me," she says, "promoting a gay movie and not talking about being gay" —But I'm a Cheerleaderallowed her to "play a character that was less of the stereotype of what we were at the time used to seeing lesbian characters be." Mark Lipson/Kushner-Locke/Ignite/Kobal/Shutterstock Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Calling it "the most rewarding thing I had ever done," DuVall adds that she has repeatedly heard from fans saying the film "gave them the courage to come out, and it made them feel comfortable, and it made them feel seen." At one film festival, she recalls, a mom and daughter approached DuVall and Lyonne, 46. "They had driven for four hours to see this movie because the kid really wanted to see it, and the mom really wanted to make it happen for her, and it really meant a lot to them." It was "being able to see gay characters portrayed in this way and have a happy ending," DuVall says, that resonated. "She said that she felt it made her feel less afraid and less alone." Parents, too, she adds, are part of a child's journey of coming out. "They need these movies as much as their kids do." But I'm a Cheerleaderwill celebrate its 25th birthday on July 7. Also among its fans:Elliot Page, who in 2021spokeabout how such a LGBTQ+ film "offers somebody a lifeline. And I know that representation has done that for me." Read the original article onPeople
