Peter Tatchell and director Christopher Amos outside a central London mosque (Photo: Christopher Amos)
When the director of the new Netflix documentary, Hating Peter Tatchell, asked me if I had ever watched the movie, I was at home with my mom for a few days. She is 80 years old, a devout Catholic and took a little time to adjust to the news of her son’s homosexuality.
Mom and I love each other very much and are very close, but I didn’t think a documentary about the work of the veteran human rights activist – infamous for pulling out bishops and storming the pulpits of cathedrals – would be in his street.
When I got home, and after watching Australian director Christopher Amos’ debut film, I wondered if I had missed an opportunity to share something with her.
Tatchell grew up in Australia. His parents were super religious. Her mother still is and she never really embraced her sexuality. While she may have admiration for his passion for the human rights campaign, she clearly still struggles with the gay thing.
Peter Tatchell and his mother, Mardi Nitschke (Photo: Peter Tatchell)
Indeed, one of the most poignant moments of this film comes towards the end. Tatchell talks about gay propaganda laws that prevent teachers from telling children about homosexuality issues.
Her mother answers “absolutely” because it is not for teachers to talk about such things. There’s an awkward pause before Tatchell patiently explains why it’s perfectly reasonable for teachers to tell kids it’s okay to be gay. Her mother listens politely, but you know she is not convinced.
It’s a telling moment: After more than 50 years of campaigning for human rights, Tatchell has yet to convince even some of his relatives why the battle for global LGBTQ rights is so important. This shows how far we still have to go.
Related: Peter Tatchell, UK Activist: Homophobia Classes Should Be ‘Mandatory In All Schools’
Fortunately, Tatchell has managed to influence many others – and spark human rights conversations around the world. This new documentary covers its history and several of its campaigns.
It’s an essential viewing for anyone who wants to know about the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ rights and will fuel the debate on the best tactics to use. As Tatchell points out, no breakthrough has been achieved simply by politely asking. An element of civil disobedience is almost always required.
The filmmaker Amos, 46, Herald of Brisbane. He has spent much of the past 20 years in London, where he has made a name for himself as a journalist, LGBTQ activist and bar owner. He returned to the Gold Coast in 2019.
“I first approached Peter in 2015 to make a documentary on his life’s work,” he tells Queerty. Amos had produced a documentary about the East London drag community (“Dressed as a Girl”) that year, and had invited Tatchell to the premiere.
“I wanted to show him that I could make a feature-length documentary. Peter’s activism inspires me, maybe the Australian trip moving to London made his story especially important to me.
“We first met in 2000, when I was editor-in-chief of Bent magazine, and Peter was a regular contributor. I was always surprised to see how many members of the LGBTQ community laughed at his work, despite the enormous contribution he made to promoting our rights. It struck me as an interesting premise for a story about his life, something that could be explored in 90 minutes. I wanted to highlight his achievements but also explore his motivations.
Amos was surprised no one had made a documentary about Tatchell before.
Tatchell storming the chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s church service on Easter Sunday in 1998 (Photo: Adrian Arbib)
“Peter has been approached over the years. For some reason, none of these took off, until I persevered. Peter commented on why not earlier, recently. He suspects that most of the media have specifically avoided offering him such a platform, perhaps because of the controversy he has generated.
This controversy led to the name of the documentary.
“I’ve always been drawn to Peter as a character who divides, knowing him personally for over 20 years, I knew his heart and his motives were in the right place,” Amos explains.
“Everything he said made sense to me. Yet despite this, many people, including supposedly smart friends, often criticized Peter and his tactics.
“I wanted his name in the title and I was just looking for that word that could change the perception of the name, which could represent the film. Finally, I remembered Hating Alison Ashley, a novel from my childhood, and presto, we had our title, Hating Peter Tatchell. Then it’s just stuck.
Peter Tatchell protester in Red Square in Moscow (Photo: Christopher Amos)
Tatchell recently wrote an article for The Guardian about the film. Amos followed him to Moscow to film him during a protest during the 2018 World Cup against the persecution of LGBTQ people in the country. Tatchell admits he had nerves before many of his manifestations (he was assaulted several times and suffered permanent brain damage). Moscow was particularly stressful, and Tatchell said this led to arguments between him and Amos.
“There were tensions, which was to be expected,” Amos recalls. “But we actually got along really well given the issues at stake.
“For starters, it was just me – shooting, sound, directing. I had to leave a bunch of gear behind to go from a team of four in one to a tourist basically with my vacation camcorder.
“Peter is still in control, so I literally had to be there to capture his thoughts, his actions, whatever he intended to do. Every day we left the hotel he had everything with him, passport, clothes, toiletries, whatever he had come to Moscow with, just in case something happened to him. Which, of course, was ultimately the case when he was arrested for organizing an individual demonstration on the day. of the opening of the World Cup.
Related: As Pride Month Ends Pay Tribute To Darkest Moment In LGBTQ History
The film was a five-year labor of love for Amos. This helped garner support from Ian McKellen, who interviews Tatchell in the film, and input from Stephen Fry, who also features. Towards the end of production, Elton John and David Furnish came on board as executive producers.
“Elton and David got involved after the movie was over, they watched a first part of the movie and were very excited. Initially, I approached David to ask him to use Elton’s touching song “Believe” on the end credits, which they agreed to. “
As someone who has spent a lot of time with Tatchell, analyzing his life, what does Amos think motivates his endless activism?
“Quite simply, he fights injustice because he loves his neighbor. Peter explains his motivation as if something were happening to him, would he like someone to help him. The answer being “yes” prompts him to help others in this long struggle to bring equality to all. “What is unique about Peter though, this activism, speaking out, taking action, is in his DNA. He doesn’t do it for the money, let me assure you.
“He has a Christ-like call to help those in need,” says Amos. “Personally, I hold Peter in high esteem up there along with other legendary change makers: Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Pankhurst, Princess Di. Even the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in the film, publicly declares that Peter was on the right side of history and draws a parallel between Peter and Jesus.
Hating Peter Tatchell is now available on Netflix (except in Australia)
