Katherine Perrington watches in horror as Stephen Fry explores what it means to be homosexual across the globe.
Its easy for us, who are living in a largely tolerant society, to forget just how many human beings are out there spouting homophobic vitriol. Stephen Fry’s two part series is a powerful and revealing look at the treatment of gay people across the world, with interviews from some of the most prolific homophobes on the planet.
Image Credit: BBC
But first we start with a cosy scene of a couple, Andy and Steve, getting married (not quite Adam and Steve but close enough) with Stephen Fry sitting in the audience, shedding a tear of happiness at how far we have progressed since being gay was a crime in this country.
However after starting on a positive note, Stephen meets Iranian asylum seeker Farshaad who is facing the death penalty if he is sent back to Iran. The Home Office do not believe he is gay and apparently require proof if he is to stay in the country. What exactly they expect him to do to provide proof is unclear and unhelpful. He asserts he would rather commit suicide than go back to a country that would humiliate and execute him.
Next, Stephen travels to Uganda, where, in a radio debate, he encounters Pastor Solomon Male, a homophobic preacher. I was shocked at his ridiculous assumptions about gay people and his obsession with the idea of anal sex and its sinful nature, to which Stephen beautifully counters with, “Why are you so obsessed with anuses? It’s about love!” Its almost funny until you remember this hateful rhetoric is aimed at making life a misery for gay people in Uganda.
Stephen also speaks to the minister of ethics and integrity, Simon Lokodo, (possibly one of the most inappropriate titles ever) who near enough accuses Stephen of planning to spread gay propaganda through his country, rendering intelligent discussion impossible.
Still in Uganda, Stephen hears a heartbreaking testimony from a woman named Stosh who at the age of fourteen was subjected to “corrective rape” which left her both pregnant and HIV positive. This was a very distressing scene and as someone who never cries I can honestly say I was brought to tears by the cruelty she suffered at the hands of evil and ignorant people.
Image Credit: BBC
The programme does however, end on a positive note with a charming interview with gay actor Neil Patrick Harris, about his optimism that people are becoming more accepting of the gay community. However, we clearly still have a long way to go as next weeks episode will explore the alarming new laws in Russia and why life for gay people there is about to become even harder than it was before.
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