Brazil
LGBT
By Sergio Viula
Brazilian LGBT news and trivia
While fundamentalist senators and deputies try to hinder any progress as to criminalizing discrimination against LGBT citizens – and they have been successful for 12 years now – our president Dilma Rousseff remains silent in spite of the homocaust going on all over the nation.
Obviously, Dilma’s silence on the issue is due to agreements settled with fundamentalist leaders so as to placate them and count on their recommendation to church people who will do whatever they claim is God’s will, including voting for one candidate or another.
Oddly enough, Brazil is about to host the 2014 World Cup – an event that should promote fellowship and inclusion. However, the country is, no doubt, a dangerous place for LGBT soccer fans and tourists. That’s something for the international media, human rights activists and NGOs to consider really very carefully.
Brazil: A country of contrasts in many ways
You must have heard of how attractive Brazil is to LGBT tourists all over the world. LGBT Pride Parades which attract millions of people. Not only that, but progress has been made in some areas, such as same-sex marriage being recognized by the Supreme Court and transgender people being able to count on the national health system for their full transition totally covered by social insurance according to a decision by the Ministry of Health. Those are all achievements to be cheered, of course.
However, one shouldn’t let those undoubtedly good reasons for celebration hinder one’s awareness of the galloping violence perpetrated against homosexuals and transgenders on a regular basis. One LGBT citizen is killed due to homophobia or transphobia in the country every 21 hours (2013) – says the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB), one of the most respected NGOs advocating for LGBT rights in Brazil.
The biggest same-sex wedding cerimony in the world was celebrated onDecember 8th, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks to a mobilization promoted by Rio sem Homofoiba (Rio without Homophobia), a program held by the State of Rio de Janeiro, under Claudio Nascimento's direction, 132 couples converted their civil partnership into marriage. Now they are husband and husband or wife and wife.
Senator Paulo Paim explains why it's been so difficult to pass the anti-discrimination bill (PLC 122) and what's next. A two-minute interview that will give you a glimpse of the struggle to vote for the bill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTi4KMG-VxQ …
Brazilian law student suffers homophobic attack
Law student André Cardoso Gomes Baliera, 27, -- attacked by two young men on December 3, 2012 in a well-off neighborhood of São Paulo (Pinheiros) -- claims it was a homophobic assault.
Joel Cordaro, lawyer of Diego Mosca Lorena de Souza, 29, personal trainer, and of Bruno Paulossi Portieri, 25, student of logistics, allegeded last Wednesday (5) there was no homophobia.
Both of the men were caught red-handed and reported for murder attempt. Co-ordinator of Policies for Sexual Diversity, Heloísa Gama Alves, announced that Souza and Portieri will be prosecuted on the basis of São Paulo state law against homophobia (state law number 10.948/2001).
According to the Military Police, Baliera was returning on foot from a drugstore when he was cursed by the two young men who were in a car parked on the corner of Teodoro Sampaio St. and Henrique Schaumann St.
In his report at the police station, the victim said that he was called "faggot, son of a bitch and fucking fag" as he crossed the street.
After Baliera replied to the insults, Portieri and Souza got out of the car and kicked and punched him badly.
Police officers who were nearby arrested the two offenders and took them to the 91st Police Department where a report for murder attempt was filed.
Baliera had a cut on the head and several wounds. He was taken to hospital and dismissed later.
The case will be investigated by the 14th Police Department (Pinheiros).
With information from UOL
Translated by Sergio Viula
NOTE:
Up to this month, about 300 LGBT people have been murdered in Brazil out of homophobia. Yet, the bill related to criminalizing homomphobia in Brazil is stuck in the Parliament due to a fundamentalist board's lobby in the Congress.
Nonetheless, President Dilma Rousseff could do something, but she hasn't ever spoken against homophobia.
Speak up, Dilma. Act up, Mrs. President. It's high time Your Excellency did something about it.
Brazilian Deputy Jean Wyllys under attack by fundamentalists
Read: Protests against human rights committee boss - GAY STAR NEWS
Jean Wyllys’ abridged trajectory
Written by Sergio Viula
Jean Wyllys de Matos Santos was born in the small town of Alagoinha, Bahia, on March 10th, 1974. He is a journalist, with a master’s degree in linguistics from the Federal University of Bahia. He is also a writer and, more recently, a politician, elected in 2010 as a federal deputy by PSOL (party) from Rio de Janeiro His mandate started in February, 2011.
Interestingly, Jean Wyllys took part in the 2005 edition of Bib Brother Brazil and won the reality show competition. That’s when the whole country came to know the great person he is.
Ironically, Jean Wyllys was elected to the Brazilian parliament with the lowest amount of votes from Rio de Janeiro, which meant getting 13,016 votes (0,2%), being dragged upwards by the performance of a mate from the same party, Deputy Chico Alencar, who had been granted 240.671 (3%) of the votes. Nonetheless, in 2012, the Congress on Focus Prize (Prêmio Congresso em Foco), Jean Wyllys, who had won the elections by a slight margin, was chosen the BEST FEDERAL DEPUTY OF BRAZIL by the Internet voters.
The slandering campaign against Jean Wyllys
Jean Wyllys is also the first Congressman of Brazil to publicly assume his homosexuality and engage in the promotion of equal rights: The same rights, with the same names, to all persons. Due to his inclusive attitude and his unmerchantable humanism, besides his unrestricted defense of an actually secularist State, Wyllys has been targeted by a heavily dishonest campaign launched by fundamentalists and opportunists, self-labeled as evangelicals, who have taken over some positions in the Brazilian parliament.
The latest clash came up when he assertively opposed the assignment of another deputy, Mr. Marco Feliciano, ankowledged for is homophobic, racist and xenophobic statements and behavior, frankly displayed on this twitter profile and other websites. After Jean Wyllys took position against the assumption of the Human Rights Committee and Minorities by Feliciano, his image started appearing on extremists’ sites and profiles featuring offensive statements and words untruthfully put in his mouth. All of that with one purpose: discredit his character, work and reputation.
However, what those lies really unveil is how desperate the homophobic fundamentalists are in face of the lack of arguments that could possibly support their anti-humanistic and homophobic position.
Edson Custodio attacked when coming back home
Gay young teacher jumps to death
Winter Games in Socchi: Pride House against homphobia and transphobia in Russia
Message from the Brazilian LGBT Sports Committee (CDG Brasil)
The Brazilian LGBT Sports Committee (CDG Brasil) – announces support to our Brothers in RUSSIA and, due to the government’s ban to the accomplishment of the PRIDE HOUSE during the Winter Games that will be held in Socchi in 2014, they will promote one of the remote editions of the PRIDE HOUSE around the globe with the partnership of other international LGBT entities.
The Pride House in Brazil during the Winter Olympic Games is a response to a Russian law that bans LGBT people’s freedom of speech.
In Brazil, the cities that will take part in the movement are to be confirmed. In other nations, the following have already confirmed their participation: Manchester (England), Toronto (Canada), Glasgow (Scotland), and Washington, DC (USA).
Lesbian spanked by father and brother after coming out
A case of homophobia against a lesbian has been reported in the city of São Gonçalo do Pará and has caused a great deal of commotion on social networks in Brazil.
It all happened when a young girl, 18 years old, decided to come out as a lesbian and ended up spanked by her father and her brother who do not accept her sexual orientation.
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The assault took place last Sunday (Dec 08), when the young girl got home after a walkabout. Her father, outraged at her sexuality, bit up the girl with a hairdryer leaving several bruises all over her body.
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When questioned by the police, the father denied that the aggression was due to her sexuality.
The young girls was taken to another city, Divinópolis, where she went through examination of crime body. A police investigation was opened.
Credit in Portuguese:
For the sake of 2014, Planalto Palace brakes the bill that would criminalize homophobia
President Dilma Roussef stated yesterday (Dec 12, 2013) during the World Forum on Human Rights:
"Our commitment with the combat against the violence that strikes the LGBT population is firm and unquestionable."
However, IG site issued a shameful contradiction to that 'passionate' statement. The article is in Portuguese here (see a summary in English below):
For the sake of the 2014 elections, Planalto Palace brakes the bill that would criminalize homophobia
Minister Ideli Salvatti instructed the government's board in the Congress to only vote the anti-discrimination bill after the 2014 elections - Photo: Elza Fiúza/ ABr
By telephone, Minister Ideli Salvatti instructed the government's board in the Congress to only vote for the bill after the elections, a condition imposed by evangelicals in exchange for support to the president's re-election.
Doctors criticize Brazilian national policy on HIV
Resource: Folha de São Paulo (originally in Portuguese - partly reproduced)
Despite seing progress in the new strategy to combat AIDS released by the federal government, doctors have strongly criticized the national policy on fighting the disease.
The biggest concern is with the government's approach to the epidemic among young gay people and prostitutes. The issue mobilizes the evangelical caucus in the Congress, which stands up against campaigns which they consider inapropriate.
On Dec 1st, 2013, the Ministry of Health announced that antiretrovirals drugs would be offered to HIV+, disregarding the disease stage.
Alexandre Grangeiro, researcher of the Medicine Department of USP (Fedral University of São Paulo), sees the policy of broadening testing and treatment as adequate, but he criticizes the approach used with the population.
"How would we lead [more people] into being tested? With afirmative policies, those of human rights. And the government interrupts those policies, calling off the Carnival ad campaign [2012, focused on gay youth] and prostitutes' one [2013]."
Caio Rosenthal, infectologist of Emilio Ribas Hospital [a reference hospital in Brazil], says that more investiment is needed. "We lack specialists, more campaigns. The homosexual issue is way grave."
Brazil lawmaker to defy government order, will call for vote on LGBT discrimination bill
By Dan Littauer
LGBTQ NATION
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/12/brazil-lawmaker-to-defy-government-order-will-call-for-vote-on-lgbt-discrimination-bill/
Less than 48 hours to ask Brazil to stop anti-#LGBT violence. Voting scheduled for Wed.
ALL OUT
December 16th, 2013
Sign here:
https://www.allout.org/en/actions/brasilhttps://www.allout.org/en/actions/brasil
NOT A HAPPY WEDNESDAY FOR BRAZILIAN LGBT PEOPLE. CHECK OUT WHY.
2013 RETROSPECTIVE
on Brazilian LGBT people and issues
Get inspired and have a great new year!
Rio: 7.2 thousand police officers trained to attend on the LGBT community by the end of this year.
The project is sponsored by the state program Rio Without Homophobia and by the State Secretary of Security. Claudio Nascimento, the program coordinator says that the results will be noticed within a few years.
Between June, 2013 and March, 2014, 3.2 thousand police officers had gone through the program. That number is to soar up to 7.2 thousand by the end of 2014.
According to Nascimento, the police officers’ level of engagement in the training sessions has risen comparing to the first sessions. They ask more questions, give examples of their daily routine, contest aspects of the presentations and, by doing so, they profit a lot more from the program. The group that is undertaking the training at the moment will finish it on May 17th – the International Day against Homophobia (IDAHO).
What’s new about this new stage of the program is that forensic experts have been trained too. Nascimento says that it will certainly have an impact on their work, essential as it is for all the investigation process of crimes motivated by homophobia and transphobia.
Another breakthrough, according to Nascimento, is the training of 500 police officers who work in police stations specifically designed to attend on women. They will be trained to attend on lesbian and bisexual women regarding their specificities. According to Nascimento, that number represents 100% of the workforce. This training will take place between April and August, 2014.
Orignally published by Agência Brasil and resourced from the Federal Government’s Portal. Translated and adapted by Sergio Viula.
