Morgan Spurlock’s "30 Days" (Tuesday, 9 p.m., FX) invites participants to immerse themselves in a world very different from their own. It’s a daring social experiment that delves into topical issues, sometimes with painful results.
In this week’s episode, a conservative religious woman named Kati spends 30 days with Tom and Dennis, two gay men raising adopted sons. To understand where they’re coming from, she’s required to work for a same-sex-parents advocacy group and attend meetings of a lesbian-mothers networking group. She will also meet with former foster children who talk about what it's like to grow up without parents or a permanent home and the need for more foster parents. Will the experience soften her militant opposition to gay and lesbian adoption?
The episode offers fascinating insight into the homophobic brain. At every turn, Kati is confronted with evidence that Tom and Dennis are a model couple and caring parents for former foster kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a home. She is forced to admit as much, but she refuses to let the truth get in the way of her conclusions. “My belief is that the gay and lesbian lifestyle is not correct,” she keeps saying, with no proof other than that it’s “her belief.” When gays and lesbians gently ask her why she would deny them their humanity, she screams, cries or stomps away rather than offering a rationale. She accuses them of disrespecting her rights —- in other words, her right to deprive them of their rights.
In this week’s episode, a conservative religious woman named Kati spends 30 days with Tom and Dennis, two gay men raising adopted sons. To understand where they’re coming from, she’s required to work for a same-sex-parents advocacy group and attend meetings of a lesbian-mothers networking group. She will also meet with former foster children who talk about what it's like to grow up without parents or a permanent home and the need for more foster parents. Will the experience soften her militant opposition to gay and lesbian adoption?
The episode offers fascinating insight into the homophobic brain. At every turn, Kati is confronted with evidence that Tom and Dennis are a model couple and caring parents for former foster kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a home. She is forced to admit as much, but she refuses to let the truth get in the way of her conclusions. “My belief is that the gay and lesbian lifestyle is not correct,” she keeps saying, with no proof other than that it’s “her belief.” When gays and lesbians gently ask her why she would deny them their humanity, she screams, cries or stomps away rather than offering a rationale. She accuses them of disrespecting her rights —- in other words, her right to deprive them of their rights.
