An anti-gay Russian politician who is a member of the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, is presenting a reality show where contestants have to guess which one of their housemates is gay in order to win a cash prize.
I’m Not Gay features eight men who move into a country house together and attempt, through various activities, to see which of them is most stereotypically masculine. From there, the housemates vote to eliminate a contestant they suspect is the gay among the straights.
If the men correctly guess, they share two million rubles, or approximately $28,030, among the remaining house guests. But if the gay man dodges detection, he wins the prize, according to the UK-based publication The Times.
“Finding a gay in our country is like finding a working McDonald’s,” Milonov says in a voiceover. “They definitely exist but there are very few of them and not everyone knows about them.”
Milonov, who has a history of making inflammatory remarks about LGBTQ people, tells the contestants in the first episode, which has been posted to YouTube, “I hope that you will quickly figure out the gay,” while making a throat-slitting gesture.
In the BBC documentary Reggie Yates’ Extreme Russia: Gay and Under Attack, when asked if he thought homosexuals were dangerous, Milonov responded, “A piece of shit is not dangerous, but it’s quite unpleasant to see on the streets. Homosexuality is disgusting. Homophobia is beautiful and natural.”