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By Rex Wockner International News Report
One hundred thirty-two Brazilian gays, lesbians and
transgendered people were murdered in anti-gay hate
crimes in 2001, the Grupo Gay da Bahia [GGB] reported
April 24.
"When compared with the homophobic crimes documented in 25 other countries, Brazil gets put in first place, followed by Mexico, with a yearly average of 35 homicides of homosexuals, and the United States, with a yearly average of 25," said GGB President Luiz Mott, author of the report and a professor of anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia. Eighty-eight of the victims were gay men, 41 were transgendered people and three were lesbians. "Brazil is the world champion in murders of homosexuals, having registered between the years 1980 and 2001 a total of 2,092 such murders -- an average of 104 deaths per year," Mott said. In 2001, the most murders occurred in São Paulo state (24) followed by Pernambuco (16), Bahia (14) and the Federal District (11). According to the report:
Mott says the crisis must be addressed with sex education in all schools, laws that punish anti-gay discrimination and violence, and GLBT community mobilization. |
