Sissy. Gay. Faggot. Pisnicht. Documentary maker Nicolaas Veul has been called these names for his entire life. Sometimes jokingly, sometimes as swear words. Often as something in between. What counts as normal language to some, can be an insult or a form of homophobia to others.

During an ongoing discussion about the boundaries of free expression in The Netherlands, Nicolaas used Pisnicht: The Movie and its (social media) campaign to research the impact of offensive words on (young) homosexuals.

The trigger for making this documentary was a discussion caused by well-known Dutch comedian Youp van ‘t Hek, who used the word pisnicht in his show and newspaper column. Additionally, gay jokes featured in popular television shows. The major criticism on those starting a discussion was that “minorities shouldn’t whine.” Calling someone ‘gay’ or making a gay joke is very common, and it seems to have become a reasonably normal thing to do.

Our aim was to demand attention for the impact and power that jokes and words like pisnicht can have on homosexuals. Using the documentary and the campaign related to it, we have brought up the issue on a wide variety of platforms. We are proud of that.

Overlap

There is a great overlap between the documentary and the campaign. In all its expressions, we make explicit that gay jokes often address ‘those funny gays’ with their hand gestures, dance moves, etcetera. Actually, they confirm the stereotypical image of a man that is feminine and ‘less worthy’. Nicolaas Veul, who himself is homosexual, wanted to criticise this stereotype by using humour, without resorting to ‘whining’.

 
In a video, developed especially for the campaign, Nicolaas features in the popular game show De Slimste Mens (The Smartest Human). In it, he turns the tables: he, as a homosexual, is now the person calling out the names that people have used on him. Carelessly, just like comedians such as Youp van ‘t Hek. Nicolaas thereby holds up a painful mirror.

The video went viral and was shared by many media, among them Dumpert, De Telegraaf and Shownieuws, by which we managed to reach a wider audience than just VPRO-followers. What we considered to be normal, suddenly appears to be painful and absurd. The hierarchy of humour was momentarily turned on its head.

In the spinoff of the campaign, Nicolaas was extensively interviewed and featured in (online) articles about the topic. He posted the best responses to his Instagram stories. One of the responses was written by a father who watched Pisnicht: The Movie with his 14-year-old son, who then decided to come out. The platform The best social media wrote a wonderful article on this case (in Dutch): https://www.thebestsocial.media/nl/nicolaas-veul-ontroert-door-hartverwarmende-reactie-op-documentaire/ ]

Up until today, we continue to receive moving responses to #pisnicht. From all over the country, we get screening requests for schools and community centres. The film clearly affects many people’s lives.