Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that homophobic hate speech is now punishable by prison.
The court ruled unanimously in favor of a case brought by the rights group ABGLT, which argued that homophobic hate speech should be treated the same as racist hate speech, which is already punishable by prison in Brazil.
The ruling is a major victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Brazil, which has the highest number of murders of LGBTQ+ people in the world. In 2022, there were 228 murders of LGBTQ+ people in Brazil, according to rights groups.
The ruling is also a significant step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Latin America, where there is a growing movement to fight homophobia and transphobia.
In his ruling, Justice Edson Fachin said that it was a “constitutional imperative” to give LGBTQ+ citizens equal protection under the law. He said that the court’s decision was “a victory against LGBT-phobia” and that it would help to “create a more just and inclusive society.”
The ruling is a major step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Brazil and Latin America. It sends a clear message that homophobia and transphobia will not be tolerated.