BreakTheChain.org

Who Was Gay?!

Date Added: Sept. 7, 2000
Last Updated: Jan. 16, 2005

Is Hollywood planning a film that depicts Jesus and his disciples as gay? If they are, will signing this "petition" do anything to prevent it?

Gee, how do you dare disobey a message that includes the word "please" six times and uses eleven exclamation points?

Seriously, though, this rumor about a movie that portrays Jesus Christ as gay dates back to 1984. There was no such film in production then, just as there is no trace of one now. Yes, this could change at any time, given the popularity of the rumor (scandal = money, in Hollywood), but I can find absolutely no evidence of one as of this writing.

There is, however, one nugget of truth in this chain. In 1998, Terrance McNally produced Corpus Christi, a stage play that did, indeed, depict Jesus and his disciples as gay. The rumor about the movie predates the play by 14 years, but that doesn't keep the author of this chain from insinuating that the dreaded movie will be based on the play. As of this time, there are no plans for a movie version.

The bigger point to be made here, though, is that adding your name to an e-mail petition like the one above will accomplish nothing. The people who participate in and forward e-mail petitions like this one are acting in good faith, but chains like this often do more harm than good. Let's put it to the Seven Tests of Armchair Activism:

1. Expiration - FAILED - We know that this rumor is at least 20 years old. Though the version above mentions 2001, later versions omit the date or change it to stay current. Scandal lives a long time, no matter how false it is.
2. Focus - FAILED - Petitions are supposed to influence a party to act in a desired way. This petition demands nothing specific and doesn't identify the party it's intended to sway, though earlier versions did ask concerned folks to write various states' Attorney General offices rather than just sign and forward.
3. Integrity - FAILED - There is no defined purpose statement or target of influence. In addition, there is no address to send "completed" copies to, so nobody is collecting and compiling these names. So-called petitions like this one are mainly designed to spread outrage, but not actually accomplish anything.
4. Privacy - FAILED - No e-mail petition is private. Once you sign, you have absolutely no control over who gets your name, e-mail address or other information. The version of this chain I received had more than 160 addresses in the header. Can't understand why you get so much spam? Well, if you sign a lot of e-mail petitions, that may be your answer. The more junk you send, the more junk you will get. Don't want the junk!
5. Reliability - FAILED - Since there's no target of influence, this e-petition can't be relied on to accomplish its goal.
6. Sponsorship - FAILED - The author fails to identify himself or herself and offers no guarantee that signatures will be collected and delivered to anyone with any influence.
7. Validity - FAILED - Despite the bit of misinformation about Corpus Christi (added at least 15 years after the rumor's inception), there is no evidence that such a film is being, or ever has been, made or even planned.

Now, I'm no minister, but I'm pretty sure failing to spread a decades-old rumor about something that never existed won't "show your lack of faith and a lack of respect for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for us," as the letter above contends. If you have doubt, though, consult your clergyman about this chain letter and the arguments against it. Break this chain!

References: About.com, Snopes.com

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