Russia, at this point, is building its whole national identity around homophobia (when it’s not busy attacking Ukraine, that is.) So it should come as no surprise that Vitaly Milonov, the far-right Russian politician responsible for promoting anti-gay propoganda and in general being very outspoken about how much he hates queer people. You wouldn’t think that that would be a strong enough hook for a reality show, but that’s precisely what YouTube is for.
Vitaly Milonov, the State Duma deputy who spearheaded Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda,” is cohosting a YouTube show called “I’m not gay,” where 8 contestants’ heterosexuality is tested & there are elimination rounds to find the one gay guy. 🤮 https://t.co/OgQj51W4Dw pic.twitter.com/1QJ2UKX7ZA
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 26, 2022
And honestly…for a show about homophobia, this show looks hilariously gay.
forcing myself to stop watching the russian “i’m not gay” show but these opening credits have SENT ME pic.twitter.com/Es0WX8yPjM
— the morally corrupt juan barquin (@woahitsjuanito) April 26, 2022
I mean…this is beyond camp. Also, this concept, while ridiculous to many, isn’t confined to Russia. As critic Juan Barquin points out, there was a quite similar UK program (hosted by everyone’s problematic fave Jameela Jameel) that put its own twist on the fun “which of these dudes won’t f*ck me” concept:
If you’re offended by this, I would like to remind you of the existence of PLAYING IT STRAIGHT: a show where one woman spent time with a bunch of men trying to figure out who was straight, eliminating the gay ones.
The UK version was, at one point, hosted by Jameela Jamil. pic.twitter.com/kPU5QCH3ma
— the morally corrupt juan barquin (@woahitsjuanito) April 26, 2022
If you’re ready to watch the whole thing, be my guest!
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