Austria legalizes gay civil unions, thanks to 'Bruno'?

Call it the "Bruno" effect.

The Austrian Parliament gave the thumbs up to legislation today that will give same-gender partners the right to enter into civil unions, with most of the rights and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples, according to 365gay.com.

“We are living in the 21st century and I’m very glad this step is being taken today,” Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner said during parliamentary debate leading up to the vote.

Christian Hoegl, co-president of the Homosexual Initiative Vienna, Austria’s oldest group of gays and lesbians, agreed.  “It’s a relief, a big success and a reward for two decades of lobbying.".

So how much did Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" character and movie have to do with this move by Austria's government?  

Well, apparently at first, they were incensed by Baron Cohen's depiction of the European nation, and offended by some (well, a lot) of over-the-top scenes in the film.  But Baron Cohen scored a coup by exposing the audacity of people's deepest-held beliefs about how gay people live their lives.  Bruno started out as a shallow, fickle character in the movie, with some freaky sexual tendencies, but ultimately ended up drawing upon the sympathies of both homosexual and heterosexual moviegoers alike, which was Cohen's intention all along.

By placing himself in the worst possible scenarios about gays that heterosexuals could imagine, Cohen exposed the rampant homophobia that exists in the world, particularly the United States (he also traveled to the Middle East to broker a peace agreement).  However, the movie opened to huge audiences, and earned an impressive $137 million worldwide despite mixed reviews and sudden drops from opening-night highs, thanks to word-of-mouth reviews on Twitter and other social networking sites.  A lot of people simply didn't get it. 

But most importantly, it accomplished the near-impossible:  It put the viewer in the shoes of a flaming gay man facing a world not suited for him.  The question wasn't so much, "Why does Bruno act and dress this way" as it was "Why does everyone else have a problem with him?"  The viewer felt just a hint of the awkwardness and gut-wrenching anxiety many gay men and women face every day.

Whether or not Bruno had an impact on Austria's decision to legalize gay unions is a matter of speculation.  Austrians were quick to forgive Cohen for his Hitler references and even hailed him as its new Ambassador.   Doris Knecht, a columnist for the Kurier newspaper, wrote, "This man is proud of his homeland, so we’re proud of him!  Austria has a new ambassador. Thanks, Bruno!”

The new same-gender civil union law takes effect in Austria on January 1.

Click "Subscribe" above to have articles emailed to you.  Your email address will never be shared with a third party.

For all things LGBT-related, bookmark my Home Page.