Pedrosa, my question is simple: Why, even today, despite all the exposure in the media, theater, reading and TV, do some men feel "threatened" by homosexual figures, to the point of attacking them? I swear to you that I don’t understand, even… Eduardo (São Paulo – SP)
Because we live in a country with a cultural practice of intolerance towards homosexuals. Saying that Brazil is a tolerant country is a fallacy. Our cultural practice is one of intolerance towards homosexuals, black people, among others. How many black people in government or working in large companies do we have? How many black people do we have in universities? We are a racist country. And we suffer from the worst racism, which is veiled racism. We are also a homophobic country, in fact, extremely homophobic. As gay people are not 'something good' for culture, they must be punished with murder or physical and verbal attacks.
Homophobia is the result of centuries of persecution of homosexuals. The roots of homophobia are based on religious dogmas condemning homosexuality, which in turn originated from ideas originating from primitive cultures. Media exposure is something very recent. And as a rule, this exposure does not really reflect the reality of homosexuals. Often the image that is conveyed is one of sensationalism – see popular TV programs – where what is exposed is the caricatured and effeminate gay man.
There is hope that this reality can change. With organization, political pressure and educational actions in schools we can have a more promising future for gays. A law that criminalizes homophobia is very important, too. In fact, we have PLC 122 which criminalizes the persecution of homosexuals. Unfortunately, we have a conservative Legislature where the evangelical bench and Catholic fundamentalists are working together so that this bill does not go forward. Evangelicals call PLC 122 a 'gay gag' because they think that if this bill passes they will no longer be able to criticize gays. Better days will come, as there is a wave in the West in favor of LGBT rights.
*João Batista Pedrosa is a psychologist (CRP 06/31768-3) and author of the book "Segundo Desire" (Iglu). Send your queries and questions to pedrosa@syntony.com.br. Also access your website.
