Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets of Sao Paulo to protest against a judge’s recent ruling to overturn an 18-year ban on the practice of ‘gay cure’ therapy.
In 1999, the country’s Federal Council of Psychology helped place a ban on treating homosexuality as a disease that could be cured—but judge Waldemar de Carvalho has now overruled that decision.
The original ruling was challenged in a lawsuit filed by evangelical Christian Rozangela Justino—a psychologist whose licence was revoked for offering gay conversion therapy to clients in 2016.
Judge de Carvalho ruled in Justino’s favour, saying that people should be able to have the option to access the treatment voluntarily.
Marchers at the protest played Lady Gaga’s "Born This Way" and chanted “it’s not a disease” in response to the decision.
Demonstration organiser Carlos Daniel told the LA Times that it was important that people understand the significant impact the ruling will have.
”We have to help people understand that this decision wasn't something small,” he said.
"These types of thoughts are what get us killed here in Brazil every day. We are dehumanised and treated like objects. We have to show everyone that we exist and that the future is ours.”
Openly gay Rio de Janeiro politician David Miranda told the Guardian that the decision “is a big regression to the progressive conquests that the LBGT community had in recent decades.”
“Like various countries in the world, Brazil is suffering a conservative wave.”
Brazil is often hailed as being progressive when it comes to LGBT+ rights—gay marriage was legalised nationally in 2013, same-sex couples can adopt and there are anti-discrimination laws in place.
However, instances of violence have been rapidly increasing in the country, with a survey released earlier this year estimating that one LGBT+ Brazilian is killed every 25 hours.
Popular figures in Brazil have been speaking out against the recent ruling, with singer Ivete Sangalo writing on Instagram about the controversial practice that “the sick ones are those who believe in this grand absurdity".
Pop star Anitta posted a video to her Instagram page, writing that the authorities were “wasting their time to announce that homosexuality is a sickness”.
“Homosexuals and bisexuals now have a treatment for this 'sickness' here. So I ask... who is the real sick person here? I'm praying God that these real sick people find the cure of these crazy minds and start to look at the real important things here.”
