TORONTO -- More than 1.3 million people have calling for Netflix to remove the Christmas parody special, 鈥溾��, over its portrayal of a possibly gay Jesus.
Christians who signed the Change.org petition, written in Portuguese, called the program 鈥渙ffensive to God and Catholics鈥�, an 鈥渋mmoral movie against family, against society鈥�, 鈥渄isgusting鈥�, and 鈥渨ill bring wrath on those who even giggle at the notion that Christ could be tempted in such a perverse way.鈥�
Other petitions in English have also popped up calling for the program鈥檚 removal. One called the show a 鈥渄irect attack and ridicule鈥� on the Christian faith.
Netflix describes the 46-minute film, which is also available to Canadian subscribers, as a 鈥淐hristmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos鈥�.
Translated as 鈥淏ackdoor鈥� in English, the are known for their irreverent satire on everything from religion to political corruption. The group, established in 2012, has more than and .
In 鈥淭he First Temptation鈥�, Jesus, who is turning thirty, brings a special guest to meet his parents, Mary and Joseph. It is implied that Jesus and his male friend are in a sexual relationship. The online entertainment site, Decider, called the special 鈥済leefully blasphemous鈥� and highlighted Antonio Tabet鈥檚 layered portrayal as an arrogant God.
The program has stirred anger, especially in Brazil, where more than 120 million Brazilians comprise the world鈥檚 largest Catholic population. Its right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, once called himself a 鈥減roud homophobe鈥� and infamously said he would prefer a dead son to a gay son.
The controversy was picked up by English-speaking media after Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo . The streaming company could not be immediately reached for comment, but earlier told the New York Daily News that it was looking into the issue.
This is the second holiday special from Porta dos Fundos, which last month won an for best comedy for last year鈥檚 鈥�,鈥� a spoof on the biblical Last Supper, and what happens when Jesus鈥� disciples awake the following morning and try to piece together the events of the previous night.
