Netflix Urged by Over 2 Million People to Remove Comedy Special That Depicts Jesus as Gay
A new Brazilian Netflix comedy special that depicts a gay Jesus is causing outrage, with over two million people signing a petition to have the special removed from the streaming service.
According to Variety, the new special, titled The First Temptation of Christ, was created by the Brazilian YouTube comedy group Porta dos Fundos. In the 46-minute special, the character of Jesus reportedly attends a surprise birthday party along with his friend Orlando. According to the outlet, it is heavily implied in the special that Jesus and Orlando have a sexual relationship.
A description of the satirical special written by Netflix reads: “Jesus, who’s hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family. A Christmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos.”
The Washington Post reports that other controversial moments in the special include Jesus’ mother Mary smoking weed and one biblical character hiring a sex worker.
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As of Wednesday morning, over 2.1 million people had signed a Change.org petition calling for the special to be removed from Netflix and for the creators to “be held responsible for the crime of villainous faith.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Porta dos Fundos said, “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.”
Netflix didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Porta dos Fundos has been making satirical religious films for years, according to Variety. The group won an International Emmy last year for their most recent holiday special, another religious satire called The Last Hangover.
The First Temptation of Christ is now available to stream on Netflix.
