This news is actually pretty scary when you get into it. A judge in Brazil has ordered Netflix to remove Porta Dos Fundos’ satirical holiday special The First Temptation of Christ because it subtextually depicts Jesus as a gay man. This ruling is a frightening reminder of how Brazil is facing a serious far-right movement that threatens free speech and LGBT lives under President Jair Bolsonaro.
The First Temptation of Christ has generated controversy around the world since it debuted on Netflix last year. Critics claim that it is disrespectful because it portrays Jesus as gay—he comes home to a surprise party with a mysterious, very queer-coded male friend named Orlando. It’s certainly a running joke that he might have a boyfriend and that Orlando is oh so queer but … Orlando turns out to literally be the devil, so it’s also homophobic.
The fact that this special is homophobic, generally offensive to all religions, and not very funny hasn’t stopped the controversy and serious anger. There have been twitter kerfuffles here but in Brazil the headquarters of the comedy group behind the special, Porta Dos Fundos (translation: The Backdoor) was subject to a molotov cocktail attack, and now this.
The suit seeking to bar the special from Netflix was brought by a Brazilian Catholic organization that viewed the special as a direct affront and attack on “honor of millions of Catholics” in Brazil. The case came before Judge Benedicto Abicair who claimed in his ruling, “The right to freedom of expression … is not absolute.”
A constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression does exist in Brazil, but like in America, it is not absolute (hate speech and slander, for example, are bad in both countries). However, this ruling goes further than what would constitutionally be allowed in America. Simple offensiveness is not enough to get it banned here, but this judge ruled that the injunction “is beneficial not only to the Christian community but to Brazilian society, which is mostly Christian.” He added: “Exhibiting the ‘artistic production’… may cause graver and more irreparable damage than its suspension.”
This is nonsense, legally and logically. Just because something is offensive does not mean it is harmful or will destroy the fabric of society … except in the sense that it might make society more apt to question religion and be more accepting of gay people. Art like The First Temptation of Christ doesn’t make people gay or even atheist (it’s not that good) but it is part of a cultural push towards more liberal thinking and that scares a country in the grips of the far right.
Art should not be censored or banned. Not here and not in Brazil. This ruling is chilling and scary, especially for the LGBT people of Brazil who have already been targeted by government censorship.
Luckily, Netflix has not, as of yet, complied with the ruling or removed the special. Even if they comply in Brazil, they will not be required to remove it in America or other countries where it is available. It will be interesting to see if Netflix chooses to fight this or ignore it, but for now, even if the special isn’t good, it’s important to speak out against this kind of homophobic censorship, wherever it happens.
(via: Variety, Image: Netflix Brazil)
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