Gay activists fear Bruno could damage efforts

GAY activists are worried that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, Bruno, could reinforce negative stereotypes about homosexuals just as they are making gains in the fight for rights such as same-sex marriage.

Cohen, who scored a surprise hit in 2006 with Borat, portrays a flamboyant gay Austrian fashion reporter in the new film that premiered last night in London.

The studio releasing Bruno says the film’s intent is to satirise homophobia, but some gay advocates are wary.

“We do feel the intentions of the filmmakers are in the right place – satire of this form can unmask homophobia – but at the same time it can heighten people’s discomfort with our community,” said Rashad Robinson, senior director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

With that in mind, GLAAD asked in vain for Universal Pictures, the studio behind Bruno, to add a message from Cohen addressing the importance of gay rights and tolerance.

Universal says in a statement it believes most moviegoers will understand the film’s “positive intentions”.

“Bruno uses provocative comedy to powerfully shed light on the absurdity of many kinds of intolerance and ignorance, including homophobia,” the studio said.

The movie comes out as US same-sex couples have won the right to wed in six states amid a fierce debate on gay marriage that has seen California voters approve a ban on such marriages.

Bruno is expected to be a hit, although there remains a big question about whether the young men who make up a core Hollywood audience will turn out for a movie about a gay man.

“It’s going to be interesting to see if a bunch of teenage boys actually care to go,” said gay activist Cathy Renna.

But one thing is certain – Cohen has a huge fan base. Men and women flocked to Borat, a fake documentary about a Kazakh journalist travelling across the United States that used comedy to expose bigotry. It earned $128 million (€92m) at US box offices and $133m in other countries.

Like its predecessor, Bruno is a mock documentary that covers the fashion reporter after he loses his job in Austria and goes to America looking to become a celebrity. Bruno wears mesh shirts, talks with a lisp and has a penchant for dropping his pants.

His unscripted encounters with everyday Americans and prominent figures, who think he is real, often devolve into people’s disgusted reaction to Bruno’s in-your-face sexuality.