THIS YEAR'S Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Fest opens with Jonathan Lisecki's Gayby, an affable little movie about two best friends—a gay man and a straight woman—who decide to make a baby. It's a sugarcoated take on the redefinition of the modern family, sure, but it's appealingly stuffed with cute, comic-book-loving gay dudes and sharply written best-friend banter.

A bolder offering is I Want Your Love, the super-explicit (exploding penises everywhere!) story of Jesse, an artist preparing to pack up his life in San Francisco and move back home to Ohio, where he plans to save some money and hopefully discover an alternative to the San Francisco scene that no longer inspires him. (Cue despondent Googling of "Columbus performance art scene.") Meanwhile, his friends and exes hook up and fall in love—it feels like a counterpoint to last year's charming gay love story Weekend, which also screened at the fest.

Also on the menu: A pair of documentaries—Trans and Sister Paula: The Trans Evangelist, about Portland evangelist/one-time Darcelle's performer Paula Nielsen (neé Larry)—that serve as a reminder that while the festival's title only name-checks lesbians and gays, its offerings are all inclusive.