“No one found anything that would attack my honor. I'm also not a cuckold and, furthermore, I don't have a passion for people of the same sex.” This statement was given by the Minister of Labor Carlos Lupi to the newspaper “O Globo”. The homophobic tone of the minister's remark caused outrage in the Rio group Arco-iris. “By saying that the government investigated his life and his honor, Calor Lupi jokingly says that he has no preference for men and places the issue of sexuality as one of the decisive factors in affirming his honor and being chosen for the Ministry”, protests the Ong. “It is regrettable to open the newspaper in the morning and come across news of this nature, given by someone who should excel in common sense and, as Minister, make every effort to ensure that the Secular State and respect for human rights prevail in our country. diversity” says Cláudio Nascimento, Political Coordinator of the Rio-based NGO Grupo Arco-Íris de Awareness Homosexual. For Cláudio, this type of stance, which treats homosexuality as a dishonor, perpetuates prejudice based on sexual orientation and contributes to justifying discrimination in the job market. The group from Rio highlights that the Federal Government took an important step by recognizing the need to implement public policies to stop prejudice and violence against homosexuals, launching the “Brazil Without Homophobia” program in 2004. “We hope that, as Minister of Labor, Carlos Lupi is aware of the actions that the program foresees and that he works to put them into practice”, says Cláudio.
