Brazilian Congress ignores Supreme Court decision and tries to ban same-sex marriage

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies returned on Tuesday to debate a controversial bill sponsored by parliamentarians and evangelical movements that aims to ban gay marriage, that is, between people of the same sex. Homosexual marriage was legalized in 2012 by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), whose decision is now being challenged by parliament.

The bill, which would serve as the basis for MPs to try to ban this type of union, is being discussed in the Social Security and Family Committee, where most conservative and far-right MPs oppose gay marriage. The project’s rapporteur, Associate Pastor Eurico, has already expressed his views on banning this type of marriage and has shelved eight other projects dealing with this topic.

The proposal being debated now is not new, having been introduced in 2009 by then-lawmaker and fashion designer Cladoville Hernandez, the late, staunch gay rights activist, and defending the ability of people of the same sex to be able to legally form a couple. . The project was simply shelved and lost its significance in 2012 when the STF was questioned on the matter and allowed same-sex marriage.

But now the text has been rescued by a new parliament emerging from elections in October 2022, much more conservative than before and distorted so that instead of allowing marriage between people of the same sex, it prohibits this type of relationship. . This Tuesday, the day of new debate on this topic, LGBT activists were victims of another discrimination: The Legislative Police did not allow them to gain access to the Congress to participate in a committee meeting in the galleries, which is a common occurrence in the Brazilian Parliament, but it was not allowed. Today.