The steps of the Rio de Janeiro City Council, in Cinelândia, served as the stage for an act by the group Mães pela Igualdade, which protested against homophobia.
“It is absurd, in less than a month, 39 murders of LGBT people. We want the crime of homophobia to be classified as a crime and we will take to the streets more frequently”, declared Georgina Martins, one of the members of the movement.
According to the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB), Brazil accounted for 44% of all cases of lethal homophobia in the world in 2013. “The numbers exceed those of countries that have laws that persecute homosexuals, such as Uganda, Nigeria and Russia” , highlighted Sérgio Viula, activist for the LGBT cause.
Mother of a 23-year-old homosexual boy, Kelly de Mendonça Bandeira believes that it is extremely important to combat prejudice within the home as well. “As a mother who was once prejudiced, I'm here to say that love truly transforms. When my son told me I didn’t accept it, but love transformed me,” she declared.
The group Mothers for Equality now intends to intensify the protests so that they can gain visibility to highlight the importance of criminalizing homophobia.
