Netflix Faces Backlash over 'Gay Jesus'

More than 1.8 million people have signed the petition that calls for the special to be prohibited and pulled from Netflix, and for Porta dos Fundos to apologize.

Published: Monday,Dec 16, 2019 21:40 PM GMT-07:00

Kunal Kothari

If you thought that making feature presentations with any take on religion can only be a problem in India, you couldn't be more incorrect.

According to a report in Variety, streaming giant Netflix is facing immense backlash over it's satirical comedy special called The First Temptation of Christ which shows a gay Jesus and a weed-spoking Mary.

A petition has circulated demanding the special be pulled from the streamer on the grounds that it is offensive to Christians.

The First Temptation of Christ was created by Brazilian YouTube comedy group Porta dos Fundos. The 46-minute satirical special tracks Jesus coming home to his surprise birthday party with Orlando, his openly flamboyant friend. Despite Jesus’ attempts to conceal his friend, Orlando joins the party later and sings a quirky holiday bop that includes the lyrics: “In the heat of the desert I saw the size of his huge power.”

More than 1.8 million people have signed the petition that calls for the special to be prohibited and pulled from Netflix, and for Porta dos Fundos to apologize. Viewers have accused Porta dos Fundos of showing religious discrimination and “derision and disrespect for the faith of the Catholic Church and especially for God.”

One signatory — who claimed to cancel their Netflix subscription entirely in protest — wrote, “No one is obliged to believe in Jesus Christ, but we demand respect for our beliefs. Whoever disrespects my God does not deserve my money.”

Henrique Soares da Costa, bishop of Palmares, is calling for Christians to cancel their Netflix subscriptions.

The creators Porta dos Fundos have been unfazed by the criticism. “Porta dos Fundos values artistic freedom and humor through satire on the most diverse cultural themes of our society and believes that freedom of expression is an essential construction for a democratic country,” the group, which has produced religious satires for years, said in a statement obtained by Variety.

For now, The First Temptation of Christ is still available to stream on Netflix.