Brazil: Churches have blood stains from attacks on gays

The beating of gay men by young middle-class high on Avenida Paulista and the attempted murder of a boy of 19 years after the Gay Pride Parade on the edge of Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, both of which occurred last weekend, are in the opinion of historian and anthropologist Luiz Mott, the result of intolerance, reinforced by a religious fundamentalist discourse.

"The exposure and the conquest of public space by gay men provoke the wrath of the most intolerant, who were accustomed to a conspiracy of silence", he said, adding:

- Christian churches in general have their hands stained with blood, the tolerance that disclose in pulpits and on television. They give ammunition to those who have an ideological hatred of homosexuals, making this hatred increases. There will come a time when the pope and those churches are going to his knees to apologize to homosexuals and the church has apologized to Jews, blacks and Indians.

For Mott, who is founder of the Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB), the country handles the issue of homosexuality in conflict:

- Brazil has a pink side, which is represented by the gay pride parades, has more than 200 stops and the largest parade in the world, has the largest association LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) in Latin America, the program has Brazil Without Homophobia, or won many advances, but has a blood red side. Brazil is the leading country in murders of homosexuals. Not the most homophobic country in the world, because we have laws, as in Egypt or Iraq, where homosexuals can be executed, but every two days, a gay, a transvestite, or in much smaller number, is a lesbian victim of hate crimes. Their crimes are committed with cruelty.

Check out the interview.

Terra Magazine - Last weekend, there were episodes of violence against homosexuals, both in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo ...
Luiz Mott - And add three transvestites murdered in Parana, also last weekend. The witch is loose. The increased visibility and the conquest of public space by gay provoke the wrath of the most intolerant, who were accustomed to a conspiracy of silence. The homosexuals are not exposed to avoid risky situations. For years, in Bahia, they passed a gay and sexist perceived, they shouted: 'Tchibum'. As saying: 'There goes the deer, the deer we hunt. " It was a way of unmasking.

Today, people leave for physical aggression, as happened (in 2000) with Edson Neri, at the Republic Square (Sao Paulo), which was the most emblematic case. He was trounced by a bunch of neo-Nazi skinheads. I think that bothers visibility. There are also religious intolerance, is still preaching as ever, the point (pastor Silas) Malafaia put posters on the street, saying that God created man and woman, that is, homosexuality is an aberration, a pecado.Tem those two things , the visibility that leads to intolerance, which is reinforced by a fundamentalist discourse.

Brazil has a pink side, which is represented by the gay pride parades, has more than 200 stops and the largest parade in the world, has the largest association LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) in Latin America, Brazil has the Program Without Homophobia, or won many advances, but one side has red blood. Brazil is the leading country in murders of homosexuals. Not the most homophobic country in the world, because we have laws, as in Egypt or Iraq, where homosexuals can be executed, but every two days, a gay, a transvestite, or in much smaller number, is a lesbian victim of hate crimes. Their crimes are committed with cruelty.

The main justification for these murders is the prejudice, hatred of homosexuals?
Yes They are crimes where the victim's vulnerability is a fundamental factor. The killer or assumes that gays are weak, effeminate, will not react, it's easy prey or that he will not have the support of neighbors, the janitor of the building, because gay people are often hated. There are cases in which the gay neighbor yelled for help and was not because he was afraid or because they had no sympathy.

There is another factor, which we call cultural homophobia. Why transvestite doing runway (whoring), and often is involved in the crack? Because it was played, was expelled to the margins of society. So even in crimes where there is involvement with drugs or in cases of armed robbery committed by boys in the program, who have sex with gay and then kill and rob the victim, the cultural homophobia is present. This started from the principle that more is that deer has died.

You pointed out the paradox that exists in Brazil (the pink and red blood). There is a false tolerance? 
Indeed, there is this contradiction. Foreigners often say that in Latin America, there is no easier place to flirt, have sex with gay men, bisexuals than in Brazil. At the same time, it is a country that has this component of lethal aggression. In 2009, 198 murders were reported. In 2010, until yesterday, were 175 murders. The tendency is to close the year or the same number or higher number. The average (of casualties) is usually 70% of gays, transvestites and 27% from 3% of lesbians.

How can this contradiction be explained?
I believe the Brazilian machismo and Latin America has historical roots in slavery. The white male power brokers, were less than 20% of the population. So to keep the other 80% of the population subservient, exploited, the Hispanic male had to be super violent and virile. Any effeminacy fear could represent an opportunity to take care of the oppressed. So I think that violence against homosexual is a form of affirmation of masculinity. Homophobia and the acts of murder have to do with an affirmation of machismo, virility and with the idea, especially when the gay guy is murdered by the program, a class issue. There is research showing that people from lower social classes are more homophobic, more intolerant, more conservative.

But the attack, for example, young gays on Avenida Paulista was promoted by students from upper middle class.
First, you have to see if that's upper middle class or simply middle class. Homophobia is present in all social classes, including the upper class, although it is predominant in extracts lower.

Mackenzie University published a manifesto on his website against the law crimiminaliza homophobia. What did you think of this initiative?
From the time I was a student of the Faculty Maria Antonia (USP), in front of the Mackenzie, there was war camp. Maria Antonia was a stronghold of the Communists. They (Mackenzie) has always been reactionary, extremely conservative. I wonder why the intolerance has been greatest in penteconstais churches, which are not the mainline Protestant churches. They are Presbyterians, which is a historic church that the United States has a much more favorable position. There are gay pastors made in Presbyterianism, including Brazil. It was very shocking to a more open church, like the Presbyterian, and by being in a university, a place where we must teach science, not creationism. It's an inversion. The university became a pulpit, more intolerant than their own Pentecostal churches, Universal, Assembly of God, whose leaders Malafaia, (Marcelo) Crivella and Magno Malta, who are our greatest enemies.

For you, a more radical position towards homosexuality contributes to the occurrence of crimes against homosexuals?
Absolutely. Christian churches in general have their hands stained with blood, the tolerance that disclose in pulpits and on television. They give ammunition to those who have an ideological hatred of homosexuals, making this hatred increases. There will come a time when the pope and those churches are going to his knees to apologize to homosexuals and the church has apologized to Jews, blacks and Indians.

Particularly, this Pope Benedict XVI has distinguished itself, since he was adviser to John Paul II as being the most intolerant of the popes in recent centuries. He said, 'Homosexuality (using the term pathological) is intrinsically bad. " So, from then is that the Protestant churches, including Muslims, have prevented the United Nations is included sexual orientation as a fundamental human right.

There is much resistance to approval of the PLC (House Bill) 122. You believe that the law criminalizing homophobia will be approved? What is your expectation?
Political will was lacking to Lula. He could have pushed for the caucus to vote together. For more than a dozen laws in Congress within the LGBT agenda and none has been approved. As Dilma will have majority in both Houses, we will push to the maximum so that it mobilizes its allies.

Senator elected Marta Suplicy said verbatim that the situation of homosexuals in Brazil worsened. The number of murders increased, no law was passed and our neighbors have gained more rights, such as Argentina, which has gay marriage. To Chile and Uruguay have adopted laws against homophobia, so unfortunately the last decade, I say: If you stay, get AIDS, running the homophobic killing. For heterosexual men, AIDS is 0.8% of infection. Among gay men is 11%. Unfortunately, life expectancy for gay men has worsened in recent years, declined. We need effective policies. There is no government that has done so much mobilization, programs, conferences, coordernadorias but nothing comes out of the paper.

Do you think if the PLC 122 was approved actually inhibit violence against homosexuals a law or would be ineffective? 
For over 20 years, the Grupo Gay da Bahia plead equating homophobia to racism. It was enough for us that these insults, beatings, discrimination which are categorized in the case of racism, as a felony, which were the same extent for the crimes in relation to sexual orientation. But this bill, the Iara Bernardi (PT), which is the author's original design was very detailed. Also, as with the law of Juiz de Fora (Municipal Law No. 9791, known as 'pink Act'), allowing for homosexual affection in public ...

It did not need to put it into the PLC 122, for what is not forbidden is allowed. That is what has attracted the ire of evangelicals. They think gays are going to kiss and have sex within the church. I think the bill is important because it typifies the crimes of homophobia and being approved, will inhibit the practice of homophobia in the day to day, but it has nothing on the lethal violence. Lacking in an explanation about this project.

The approval is crucial, especially to mark the presence of 10% of the population consists of LGBT people that will have minimal legal protection. In the Constitution of 1988 did not include the prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and this allows judges, prosecutors, police say they discriminate against gay isn'ta crime. In other countries there are strict laws against homophobia.

 

Ana Cláudia Barros
Terra Magazine...