Vice Media unveiled their new cable channel Viceland earlier this month, adding to their ever-growing empire of boundary-pushing journalism and documentaries. One of the most anticipated, and arguably most heavily promoted, programs on the new network is "Gaycation," a travel docu-series about LGBTQ+ culture around the globe. The show follows actress Ellen Page and her friend Ian Daniel as they travel to different countries and explore each respective culture and its relationship — both the good and the bad — to its LGBTQ+ residents.

Via VICE

So far Page and Daniel have made stops in Japan, Brazil, and Jamaica, and each episode has uncovered the triumphs and struggles of the people there with as much care and respect as possible. However that’s not to say that the show isn’t committed to the hard truth and facing the facts no matter how difficult they may be. In one tense segment in Brazil, Page and Daniel talk to a hitman, and former policeman, who targets gay people both for money and personal vendetta. One of the truly impressive aspects of the show is watching the strength of character Page and Daniel both have when faced with those who are so quick to deny them personhood, if not attacking their identities outright.

While the show has its sobering moments, there are also segments that are undeniably uplifting and genuinely fun, such as when Jamaica holds its first Pride event, or when the entire crew finds themselves roped into dancing at a gay bar in Brazil. Most often, the show finds situations that are simultaneously harrowing and hilarious, such as when Daniel finds himself hanging out with trans prostitutes in Brazil, or when a homophobic pastor in Jamaica takes it upon himself to explain ridiculously graphic sexual acts. The point between displaying the discouraging landscape and highlighting the humanity and vibrant personalities that have managed to survive within it is where the show is its most effective.

Via VICESince the passing of the Marriage Equality Act and as activism and acceptance continue for the LGBTQ+ community in the United States, it’s often easy to feel like the fight for equal rights has tipped in favor of progress. Especially at NYU, a predominantly liberal campus whose student body boasts a significant number of LGBTQ+ individuals, it’s easy to forget about the struggles others may face in other parts of the country and around the world. Like many Vice documentaries before it, "Gaycation" makes you stare at the uncomfortable and often distressing truth of the matter, not cutting away from disturbing images or shying away from topics such as forced prostitution, extreme violence, and the high rates of murder and suicide that seem to follow the gay community from country to country. At times, that life can seem so far away from our comparatively small and safe corner of New York, which is exactly why NYU students should be watching. Across the world, and even in our own country, the LGBTQ+ community is still fighting for even the most basic of rights, and "Gaycation" seeks to highlight that struggle and the different cultures enveloped in it.