But I'm a Cheerleader

But I'm a Cheerleader
Original film poster
Directed by	Jamie Babbit
Produced by	Leanna Creel Andrea Sperling
Screenplay by	Brian Wayne Peterson
Story by	Jamie Babbit
Starring	Natasha Lyonne Clea DuVall Melanie Lynskey RuPaul Charles Eddie Cibrian Wesley Mann Richard Moll Douglas Spain Katharine Towne Cathy Moriarty
Music by	Pat Irwin
Cinematography	Jules Labarthe
Edited by	Cecily Rhett
Production company	Ignite Entertainment The Kushner-Locke Company
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date	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	US$1 million
Box office	$2.6 million

But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Brian Wayne Peterson. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential inpatient conversion therapy camp to cure her lesbianism. There Megan soon comes to embrace her sexual orientation, despite the therapy, and falls in love. The supporting cast includes Melanie Lynskey, Dante Basco, Eddie Cibrian, Clea DuVall, Cathy Moriarty, RuPaul, Richard Moll, Mink Stole, Kip Pardue, Michelle Williams, and Bud Cort.

But I'm a Cheerleader was Babbit's first feature film. It was inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with rehabilitation programs. She 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 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 Babbit criticized the MPAA for discriminating against films with gay content.