Will Smith's Hancock superhero movie is homophobic, say campaigner 

10 July 2008- The new superhero movie Hancock, starring Will Smith, has been accused of homophobia by US gay rights campaigners.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) say that a scene in the superhero movie takes a "cheap, unfunny shot at gay people".

The offending scene involves Hancock speaking to PR guru Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) and dismissing three other superhero images on comicbook covers, saying, "Homo. Homo in red. Norwegian Homo" as he looks at costumed crimefighters, the Norwegian jibe referring to a blond crusader

All the comicbooks are spoof versions created for the film. Bateman's character makes no response to Hancock's remarks.

GLAAD claims "the slur sends a message that it's okay to discriminate against gay people." Representatives for Columbia Pictures, the studio behind the movie, refused to comment.

The gay rights group said: "No one would have missed the line if it wasn't there, but an unfortunate choice was made to go for the cheap gay joke. In that moment, young gay people in the movie's audience are put in the position of being ridiculed by a character they are expected to regard as a hero.

"People go to films to escape reality - or schoolyard taunts - not to pay ten bucks and be ridiculed some more, especially not by someone the Los Angeles Times calls the most likable actor in the world.

"Rated PG-13 [in the USA], Hancock is being marketed to families, teens and young adults. This film certainly presents an opportunity for parents to explain to their kids that the usually entertaining character of Hancock is not modeling good behavior. But let's get real: Hancock's use of the slur sends a problematic message that it's okay to discriminate using such hateful words.

"Every day, people - both gay and straight - are taunted and verbally harassed in their schools and in their communities with these kinds of words, creating an environment that's hostile, uncomfortable, and often unsafe. To have a heroic character - and by extension actor Will Smith - use, and by implication approve of, this kind of language is simply unacceptable.

"GLAAD understands that sometimes anti-gay language shows up in dramatic narrative to reveal a character's true colors, or to convey a message. But there's a big difference between using it to highlight a character's anti-gay attitudes and making a cheap, unfunny shot at gay people."

It's a debatable point, especially as Hancock's character was supposed to be an obnoxious, drunken down-and-out who cared little for himself and others.

Also, I'm not sure how many gay people go round in coloured tights, masks and capes. It seems more of a slur on the traditional image of superheroes, though to associate that with homosexuality is a stretch and a step too far, particularly as there was no comeback on the remarks such as Embry saying "Oh come on Hancock, these are iconic figures, classic superheroes, something kids aspire to."

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