(Photo Credit: YASUYOSHI CHIBA)
Brazil Is Fighting Back Against LGBTQ Discrimination
Last Thursday marked a major victory for Brazil’s LGBTQ community as Brazil’s Supreme Court voted in favor of making homophobia and transphobia a crime. The LGBT community has faced many hardships and an increasingly threatening environment, with dozens of people being killed this year and President Jair Bolsonaro declaring his dislike of the community.
In previous interviews, Bolsonaro has said he would rather have a dead son than a homosexual son, and just last month, the president was heavily criticized for saying Brazil should not become a “gay tourism paradise.”
The Court’s vote was six to five in favor to make discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender unconstitutional. The five other judges will have a court session in June, but results will not be changed, and the decision will take effect after everyone has voted.
This is not the first time Brazil has tried to criminalize homophobia, but over the course of 20 years, past efforts have been met with strong resistance from conservatives and religious groups.
Brazil legalized same-sex marriage in 2013 and LGBT couples have also been given the right to adopt.
In addition to this new legislation, Brazil’s Senate is also considering a bill that would criminalize discrimination based on someone’s sexual orientation or gender.
By: Maytinee Kramer
