Guatemala’s Gay Porn Uproar · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Commenting on the political uproar which has followed the shooting of a series of homosexual pornographic films in Antigua, Guatemala, El Blog Diablogico writes from the colonial city:
It's not exactly clear what most disturbs the Guatemalans about this piece of news. It's as if an apparent act of disrespect towards one of the few things of global cultural value in their country has started all those partially-healed wounds of national indignation bleeding all over again. (Yet can we be so sure that even the Germans wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone made an S&M flick in Beethoven's old house in Bonn?)
He calls the upheaval a focused expression of the country's persistent homophobia and ends the post with five rhetorical questions including, “Would anyone have minded so much if the film had been about lesbians?”
Andrés Duque sums up the irony of the controversy in his well-hyperlinked post:
So, while the Guatemalan gay rights organization has suffered the loss of eight of its members to violence just this year, a US-based gay porn producer uses a Central American city for profit (reminds me of something else) and Guatemalan authorities seem to care more about the sex that aparently never took place in a temple than the rash of killings that has plagued OASIS over the years.
Chapinadas, however, has a different take, writing in Spanish:
I was reading with sadness about the homosexual pornographic movie that was filmed in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua is one of the most well-known touristic destinations in Guatemala. It's a shame that they were allowed to shoot a movie like this one in the most recognized ruins of the city. Who was responsable for granting permission? Was there even permission granted? What's most shameful is that people in other countries who see this movie could think that this colonial city approves of these practices. It's embarrassing to read stories like this in the foreign media, especially in places from which many tourists travel to Guatemala. I wonder how I'd respond if some person who traveled to Guatemala asked me about this movie. The truth is that I'd get really angry if they asked me. Antigua is a cultural patrimony of the Americas and we should care for it so that it continues to be a colonial jewel. But actions like this can only contribute a poor image to the colonial city. Fellow Guatemalans, let's take care of our colonial city in ever sense.
Guatemala's most read weblog, Guate360 tries to be more objective in its post which simply says that the movie, “has citizens of Antigua bothered and indignant because they consider it an insult to their city.”
More than just Antigua's residents, the great majority of the 150 commenters on the post are also outraged over the news. The first comment from “GranJaguar” reads:
How nasty! I can't believe that such a sick person can give authorization so that they can use our great architectural treasures for the entertainment of sick people who believe they are normal. I agree with those who say this shows a lack of respect even if the reason is subject to personal values. Materially speaking, it does not take or add anything to Antigua, but the city is a national treasure, a heritage of humanity, and therefore it must be respected.
Others though agree with Ale who, responding to another commenter asks, “well, what if it was a porn flick, but heterosexual? For me, I'm not offended because the movie is gay or not. As a Guatemalan, I'm offended because our heritage was used as a scene of a porn movie.”
Another commenter, Niko Kovalenko says he is not surprised by the news as Antigua is a cosmopolitan city with “prostitutes, thieves, and drug dealers … those who are closed-minded and think that all of this doesn't take place need to open their eyes and realize that it's not just like this in Antigua, but all over the country.”
Most of the feedback can be characterized as angry, homophobic rants or equally angry responses to the show of intolerance. One of the last comments comes from Ashwan who writes:
Alas, this blog post hasn't done much. So much nonsense (including my own), it's a shame. A blog could serve to contribute to change, making apparent the failures of the system and the endemic corruption in our country. And maybe it could encourage new generations to act and take the bull by the horns.
But it is “jorgecab” who finishes the conversation by pointing out the real beneficiaries of the controversy. “148 comments for a porn. I think that you've all given enough publicity to the movie and that the producers thank you for it.”