Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World
Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World
| 07 June 2003 (USA)
Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World Trailers

A feature-length documentary that explores the immense changes that occurred for gays, lesbians and transgender people living in the Global South. In the last decade of the 20th Century, a new heightened visibility began spreading throughout the developing world and the battles between families, fundamentalist religions, and governments around sexual and gender identity had begun. But in the West, few people knew about this historic social upheaval, until 52 men on Cairo’s Queen Boat discothèque were arrested for crimes of debauchery. That explosive story focused attention to the lives and trials of gay people coming out in the developing world and the film chronicles those events.

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Reviews
rich-228

This is a fine documentary which sheds light on the sorry state of GLBT rights in some of the developing world, and quite an eye-opener for this American gay man. It centers around the arrest and imprisonment of 52 men in Egypt for being gay, and goes on to show, through the words of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in the subject countries, all the dangers they face, right up to and including death.Some of it is downright scary. Some of it is very sad. Some of it is very moving. All of it is worthwhile.Anyone interested in GLBT rights in Honduras, Egypt, the Phillipines, Thailand, Namibia, or in the developing world in general, will be well served by this film.

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lastliberal

I understand that this film is played at Gay and Lesbian film festivals, but until the advent of channels like Logo, it has not been widely available. Of course, being on Logo is not widely available either, but it is better because this film needs to be seen by anyone who questions why Gay Pride parades are held.Bush is over in the Middle East, which was the focus of the majority of this film, preaching democracy. Of course, if he hasn't seen this film, he really doesn't under the wall he is up against. The fundamentalists in the Middle East are worse than the ones here in America. They imprison and torture GLBT individuals and encourage others to physically punish and, even kill, those who are different. Egypt imprisoned and tortured 52 men, even though there are no laws in the country against homosexuality. It was only through brave men like Barney Frank and international outcries that this ended, and it was many months. Most of those involved have fled to the US or Canada or other locations where they will not be imprisoned, tortured or killed with the government's blessing. You may be killed in the US, but at least it is officially discouraged.It has been said that the poor in the US live like kings compared to the developing world, and LGBT individuals certainly have much more freedom, but democracy and freedom do not exist in this country either. For we are not free until all of us are free. If one group can be singled out for oppression, then it could be our turn next.This film will help you understand, and it should be watched by all.

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David

After two viewings, I've concluded that DANGEROUS LIVING is one of the finest documentaries focusing upon the global LGBT human rights struggle that I've seen; it's lone major flaw is that it left me wanting more.The film is structured around the well-publicized and much-protested persecutions and torture of a number of gay men arrested in what was presumed to be a comparatively safe environment in Cairo, and the incident is used as a touchstone to explore what gay, lesbian and trans-gender activists in a number of other countries have had to endure. Activists from Brazil, Honduras, Namibia, Uganda, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Fiji and The Philippines are interviewed, and in every instance I wanted less voice-over, and more 'in their own words' discussion. I also would have liked to hear more about where conditions have improved, and how those improvements were obtained. DANGEROUS LIVING does also manage to hint at the link between the LGBT rights struggle, and the broader fight for human rights around the globe, and likewise suggests (an opinion I share) that state-sponsored homophobia has been heavily shaped by Western influences. Both of these issues still await further cinematic exploration.I'm of the opinion that the fight for LGBT rights is global, and that we are overdue a documentary that would make that plainly clear to Western LGBT communities who may take certain freedoms for granted, and - in relying so heavily upon voice overs, I'm not certain that this film does that effectively in its' comparatively brief running time. Still, this is both a moving and an infuriating film, and it does work as an inspiration to further research; to paraphrase the late writer and activist Paul Monette, a difficult life can take you to the core of your being; teaching you what has to be fought for and how - DANGEROUS LIVING does this often, with moving reality.At the risk of cheer leading, I would strongly encourage others to seek this film out.

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