'The Jaundiced Eye': When Gay Is Synonymous With Child Molester

We're all keenly aware of the many ways homophobia rears its ugly head -- gay bashings, bullying, housing discrimination, employment discrimination, marriage discrimination -- but imagine having your freedom taken away from you as a result of small-town homophobia. "The Jaundiced Eye" -- Nonny De La Pena's brilliant documentary that came out in 1999 but only came to my attention last week by my friend Mark -- tells the harrowing story of a gay man from Michigan, Stephen Matthews, and his (straight) father, Melvin Matthews, who were falsely accused by Stephen's vindictive ex-wife and her husband of molesting Stephen's son. 

Although there was no physical evidence -- one day the 5-year-old boy casually claimed he'd been anally raped by the men (Grandma even helped) with their penises and a machete more than 40 times in a bathroom the size of a kitchen pantry, yet there wasn't a mark on him -- the boy's abusive new stepfather clearly had an issue with his wife's gay ex-husband and ex-father-in-law. And once the grossed-out-by-gays prosecutor got her hands on the case -- and a bogus chlamydia test -- that was all it took to get the ball rolling in this small country between Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, where a jury of their peers sentenced them to 35 years in prison. The film chronicles the original trial and the decade-long search for justice -- the twists and turns make the plot of "Inception" look straightforward -- and left me shaken to the core.

"The Jaundiced Eye" is a shocking and heart-wrenching example of how juries' prejudices can blind them to the evidence -- or lack thereof -- and how prosecutorial vendettas, too, can be fueled by homophobic hatred and "religious" beliefs. You can get the film through Netflix HERE, or watch it on your computer below. 

Once you've watched it -- or if you've already seen it -- you might want to click HERE to get an update on the principals sent to my friend last week from the film's director, Nonny De La Pena.