Gaycation

'Gaycation' is an outstanding documentary brought to us from the folks at Viceland, designed to explore the cultures around the world of the LGBTQ community, both publicly visible and behind-the-scenes. Hosted by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel, the two travel to countries such as Brazil, Japan and the Ukraine shedding light on the often misunderstood and frequently maligned LGBTQ community ~ which the program beautifully shows are people just trying to live authentic, but often difficult, lives.

'Gaycation' brings issues to light such as homophobia in Jamaica, the highest LGBTQ death rate in the world in Brazil, and the stigma that still exists in the Deep South.

Now in its second season, 'Gaycation' has been an amazing vehicle that has shed light on a community that has had some recent successes (such as the Supreme Court making gay marriage valid in all 50 states), but more-so the incredible ignorance and hate that still exists for these people throughout every corner of the world. Highly recommend.

10 years ago this series came out. Somehow I had missed it.

Elliot (then Ellen) Paige and her friend Ian Daniel traveled around the world to tell us about the experience of the LGBTQ communities in select locations. And I'm glad they did.

Japan was, of course, the most interesting for me. But the other places were as interesting as well. The stories and experiences of people are told with sincerely, compassion, and respect - which is why the series is so good.

But also the interactions that Paige and Daniel have - sometimes new and eye-opening for them - felt genuine and unexpected, which is another reason why is the series is so good.

Even if you're not interested in LGBTQ issues, but if you are interested in human issues, then you should give this series a try.

This show offers a beautiful, intimate look into the lives of LGBTQ+ people across cultures, addressing subcultures, discrimination, and issues that all LGBT people face in their lives. The hosts, Ellen Page and Ian Daniel share their own personal experiences as they venture through gay bars and clubs, discuss LGBT rights with politicians, and explore same-sex unions and coming out in various cultures. Their own friendship and care for each other is palpable and endearing. I would recommend this series to anyone who is not a homophobe (and sincerely hope that those homophobes who do watch this learn some acceptance through the experience).

This series opened my eyes to the lives of LGBTQ+ people in places that I only vaguely knew about. It showed both perspectives regarding the equal rights of LGBTQ+ people and, for the most part, pretty objectively observed their lifestyles in various countries around the world.

Ellen Page and Ian Daniel explore these places with passion and commitment, both of which are very clearly reflected on-screen and in personal interviews. It is also very clear that their experiences were unforgettable. As a viewer, some of their interactions with others, both supporters of the LGBT community and non-supporters, were absolutely astonishing. It is eye-opening to see the varying degrees of extremism in both communities and their arguments for their positions. Some of them made me personally reconsider my own position in the fight for equality and whether or not it is doing more good than bad in a general sense. Not to say that my mind has been changed; if anything, this documentary has strengthened my will to proceed further for equality.

The final episode of the series did a fantastic job of going over the triumphs and the faults of LGBT rights in the United States. However, it does not as good of a job of wrapping up their "gaycation" as a whole. Their travels to Japan, Brazil, and Jamaica were very informative and crucial to understanding the lives of LGBT people in the world as a whole, however they were not strongly reviewed in the end. Their experiences in other countries certainly had an impact on them, yet they were not really addressed at the end, other than the last words spoken by Ellen. Also, I would personally like to see a longer series made. I understand that the idea of it is to be a vacation of sorts (hence "gaycation"), however I think exploring only three other countries other than your home country is not quite sufficient in understanding all LGBT lives.

Nevertheless, this documentary went above and beyond simple information gathering and was inspiring, entertaining, and emotional all in one. It was very well done and well worth the watch.

What an incredible documentary series. Educational, beautiful and moving. I was filled with so many different emotions after watching it. So happy I did. Highly recommended!