But I'm a Cheerleader

But I'm a Cheerleader
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jamie Babbit
Screenplay by	Brian Wayne Peterson
Story by	Jamie Babbit
Produced by	Andrea Sperling Leanna Creel
Starring	Natasha Lyonne Clea DuVall Melanie Lynskey RuPaul Charles Eddie Cibrian Wesley Mann Richard Moll Douglas Spain Katharine Towne Cathy Moriarty
Cinematography	Jules Labarthe
Edited by	Cecily Rhett
Music by	Pat Irwin
Production companies	Ignite Entertainment The Kushner-Locke Company
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films
Release dates	September 12, 1999 (1999-09-12) (TIFF) July 7, 2000 (2000-07-07) (United States)
Running time	85 minutes (US) 92 minutes (UK)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1 million
Box office	$2.6 million[1]

But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 American satirical teen romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit in her feature directorial debut and written by Brian Wayne Peterson.^[2] Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and, despite the "therapy", comes to embrace her sexuality. The supporting cast includes Clea DuVall, RuPaul, and Cathy Moriarty.

Inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with rehabilitation programs, Babbitt used the story of a young woman finding her sexual identity to explore the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. The costume and set design of the film highlighted these themes by using artificial textures in intense blues and pinks.

When it was initially rated as NC-17 by the MPAA, Babbit made cuts to allow it to be re-rated as R. When interviewed in the documentary film This Film Is Not Yet Rated, she criticized the MPAA for discriminating against films with homosexual content. While the film has developed a cult following since its release, it was not well received by conservative critics of the time, who compared it unfavorably to the films of John Waters and criticized the colorful production design. The lead actors were praised for their performances but some of the characters were described as stereotypical.