Brazil: Homophobia, Religion and Politics · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Amidst an increasing wave of homophobic violence in Brazil, which puts the country among the world's worst in terms of crime against the LGBT community – as reported in the first article of this series dedicated to the LGBT scene  – federal deputy Jean Wyllys, the first openly homosexual member of the Brazilian parliament, has presented a Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.
Meanwhile, recent statements of hatred and prejudice by some parliamentarians, far right groups and religious representatives, who oppose this and other legislative advancements in LGBT issues, have raised a feeling of indignation in the blogosphere.
Image shared in the blog Wihhy's, public domain.
Preaching prejudice
"Caution! Religious freedom threatened – Gay Dictatorship in Brazil – Vote against – Say no!" from the blog Amigo de Cristo (Friend of Christ)
An article from Jornal Brasil, republished by O Evangelho (The Gospel) [pt], points out that several religious groups, namely evangelicals and catholics, have been opposing what they call the beginning of a “Gay Dictatorship“ [pt], which includes “homosexual “marriage”, the Ministry of Education's supposed primer against “homophobia” (known as the “Gay Kit”) and PLC 122/2006 (the gay gag law), a bill that intends to criminalize any criticism of or opposition to homosexual behavior or to the intentions of the gay lobby”. In addition, these groups favor the dissemination of ideals which are contrary to the advocacy of LGBT rights [pt].
On this matter, Paulo Cândido, writing for the blog Biscoito Fino e a Massa, criticizes [pt] the “lack of arguments” and the “empty rhetoric”  of the “religious right-wing”:
que mal esconde seu ódio e sua   intenção de impor a moral de uma religião à sociedade como um todo.
Robson Fernando, writing for the blog Acerto de Contas, adds [pt]:
Fora a visão utilitária, influenciada pela moral  cristã,  que os  anti-LGBT possuem da sexualidade – segundo os quais o sexo  teria  função  estritamente reprodutiva –, a homofobia e o alegado  “direito de  criticar  a homossexualidade” têm tudo em comum com a  intolerância  religiosa e o suposto  “direito” de alguém discordar que  as pessoas  possam seguir outras crenças.
The cases of homophobia, however, transcend the churches and temples, and have even reached the political realm. One  of the figures that bridges the two institutions is the evangelical preacher and federal deputy, Marco Feliciano. Feliciano  was involved in a controversy after using Twitter to make  several racist and homophobic statements, as journalist Paulo Lopes mentions [pt], quoting: “we love homosexuals, but we loathe their promiscuous practices”.
Homophobia with parliamentary representation
"I don't discuss promiscuity! Any son of mine is well educated and runs no risk of falling for black women or gays!"
Federal deputy Jair Bolsonaro, affiliated with the Progressive Party in Rio de Janeiro, recently became involved  in a controversy for defending the right of parents to hit their children  to prevent them from becoming gay.
Rede Brasil Atual (Current Brazil Network) summarizes [pt] Bolsonaro's most polemical statements in a recent interview on the comedy show CQC (the video can be viewed here [pt]):
(…) fez declarações homofóbicas em um vídeo exibido pelo programa CQC, da TV Bandeirantes, nesta segunda-feira (28). Para Bolsonaro, ele não    correria o risco de ter um um filho gay, pois seus filhos tiveram  “uma boa educação, com um pai presente”. Ele também afirmou que não participaria de um evento homosexual porque “eu não participo de promover os maus costumes (sic).
An advocate  for far right-wing policies and a former army captain, Bolsonaro has made a habit of insulting human rights defenders as well as defending torture, but has never been punished by his peers [pt].
Blogger José Márcio Dias de Alencar wrote [pt] an Open Letter to the Deputy:
O senhor, futuro ex-deputado Jair Bolsonaro, representa   tudo que o  Brasil hoje mais abomina. E todos os 120 mil eleitores que o   colocaram  em seu sexto mandato são totalmente responsáveis   por esse  grotesco show de horrores protagonizado em nossa recente   democracia.  Irônico um ex-militar que apóia e se diz saudosista da   ditadura  depender tanto da democracia pra viver,  não? São 120 mil   pessoas que  pregam o racismo, a homofobia e a misoginia.
Via  Twitter, the actress and singer Preta Gil, offended by the video of Bolsonaro shown on CQC, announced [pt] that she will sue Bolsonaro for his remarks,  to which he replied that he had been misinterpreted [pt]. Jair Bolsonaro defended [pt] himself on his website and denied that he had insulted the singer Preta Gil.
On  the night of March 29, a group of parliamentarians, among them Jean Wyllys,  Brizola Neto, Manuela D'Ávila and Ivan Valente, filed a complaint [pt] to the  House of Representatives asking them to take action against deputy Jair  Bolsonaro.
Neo-Nazis, Fascists and “Nationalists”
Image by the author of this post.
The  statements by Jair Bolsonaro caused the desired effect, and in his defense several right-wing groups staged a demonstration in Avenida  Paulista and have been organizing others [pt] against the PLC 122, and in defense  of the family and the right to hold prejudice.
Groups [pt] such as Ultra Defesa, União Nacionalista (Nationalist Union), RAC Kombat – Rock Against  Communism, Carecas do Subúrbio (Baldies from the Suburb), Integralists and Nazi Skinheads, gathered to defend the deputy and “the family” against the  “Gay Dictatorship” and the attempts to criminalize homophobia.
After  the protest, at least six people linked to extreme right-wing and hate  groups were arrested [pt], which led Eduardo Guimaraes, from the blog Cidadania (Citizenship)  to comment [pt]:
[os manifestantes acabaram se] deparando com uma  contramanifestação  de defensores dos direitos dos homossexuais, um ato  corajoso e insensato  porque, do outro lado, havia criminosos conhecidos  e procurados, o que  gerou uma dezena de prisões de bolsonaretes. Em nenhuma outra parte do país, neonazistas e skinheads, entre os  quais  devem estar os que vêm aterrorizando homossexuais na avenida  Paulista,  teriam coragem de sair assim tão abertamente à luz do sol.
A  protest, led by LGBT movements and activists from various segments of  the left, was organized on the same day and time as the Nazi-Fascist protest, requiring a huge police contingent to separate the two  groups.
Federal deputy Jean Wyllys, in a letter published on journalist Leandro Fortes’ blog Brasilia, eu vi (Brasilia, I saw) [pt], calls for the “defense of human dignity, (…)  a sovereign principle of the Constitution” and states:
(…) o limite da liberdade de expressão de   quem quer   que  seja é a dignidade da pessoa humana do outro. O que   fanáticos e  fundamentalistas religiosos mais têm feito nos últimos anos   é violar a  dignidade humana de homossexuais.
Despite this whole scenario, there is hope. The  PEC proposed by Jean Wyllys, and other initiatives on the  criminalization of homophobia promise not only to illuminate the discussion  over legalizing marriage for same-sex couples, but also to promote greater  equality between all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation.
The  discussions of and movement towards acceptance of LGBT, already taking place  both in parliament and in civil society, will be the focus of the next and  third article in the series LGBT Scene Under Discussion.