Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes To Make Homophobia A Crime

Six out of 11 Brazilian Supreme Court judges voted to consider discrimination against gays and transgender people equivalent to racism.

Activist say that the decision will grant the LGBT community real protection from the attacks and discrimination they face.

One hundred-forty LGBT people have been killed in Brazil in 2019 alone, according to rights group Grupo Gay da Bahia. Last year, 420 LGBT people were killed across Brazil.

Some activist has linked the rise of crimes against gays and transgender people with the election of Brazil’s conservative President Jair Bolsonaro.

In a prior interview, Bolsonaro said he would rather have a dead son than a homosexual son. Last month, he was heavily criticized for saying Brazil shouldn’t be a “gay tourism paradise.”

The decision at the Supreme Court hasn’t been finalized and the next hearing is scheduled for June 5.