Brazil’s Supreme Court Overturns Ban on Netflix’s Gay Jesus Film
A Brazil Supreme Court has overturned the order by a judge asking Netflix to remove a satirical film depicting Jesus as a gay man.
Judge Antonio Diaz Toffoli, head of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Thursday, January 9, issued an order that allows streaming service, Netflix to continue showing the controversial movie, “The First Temptation of Christ,” depicting Jesus Christ in a gay relationship.
Rio de Janeiro judge Benedicto Abicair on Wednesday, January 8, ordered Netflix to remove the movie from its platform following a petition by Brazilian Catholic organization
But Netflix filled an official complaint with the country’s top legal authority. Netflix lawyers argued that the judge’s decision amounts to censorship and has an impact “equivalent to that of the bomb used in the terrorist attack against the headquarters” of the comedy group. “It silences by means of fear and intimidation.”
Judge Antonio Diaz Toffoli supported Netflix’s appeal against banning the movie, AFP reports and denied the idea that the movie was insulting to Christians.
The judge said:
“One cannot suppose that a humorous satire has the ability to weaken the values of the Christian faith, whose existence is traced back more than two thousand years, and which is the belief of the majority of Brazilian citizens.“
A spokesperson for Netflix said in support of the show: “We strongly support artistic expression and we will fight to defend this important principle, which is the heart of great stories.”
Porta dos Fundos, the Rio-based film company that produced the controversial movie, also released a statement, saying that it “opposed any act of censorship, violence, illegality, authoritarianism” and vowed to continue broadcasting its work.
