Borat Follow-Up 'Outright Offensive': Gay Activists

Advocates feel 'deeply mixed' about faux-Austrian reporter
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2009 9:30 AM CDT
Borat Follow-Up 'Outright Offensive': Gay Activists
In this image released by RapRadar.com, Eminem, left, and Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as the character Bruno, pose together on Sunday, May 31, 2009, prior to the MTV Music Awards in California.    (AP Photo/RapRadar.com)

Gay groups are torn over the upcoming comedy flick Bruno, worried that it may seem to justify rather than mock homophobia, the New York Times reports. “Some people in our community may like this movie, but many are not going to be OK with it,” says the head of an anti-defamation group. “Sacha Baron Cohen's well-meaning attempt at satire is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others.”

“We strongly feel that Sacha Baron Cohen and Universal Pictures have a responsibility to remind the viewing public right there in the theater that this is intended to expose homophobia,” says a gay rights advocate. An embarrassed Elton John refused a request to use one of his songs for a scene in which Cohen's character yanks down a man’s pants and kisses him during a wrestling match, sparking outrage from the crowd.
(More gay activists stories.)

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