Alckmin and Kassab advocate for diversity.

The Governor of the State of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, and the Mayor of the capital, Gilberto Kassab, participated this morning in the opening of the 15th Gay Pride Parade in São Paulo, which takes place today. The Parade, whose theme this year is "Love one another - Enough homophobia," is among the three largest tourist events in the city, along with Formula 1 and the Virada Cultural. In his speech, Kassab stated that the Parade is an opportunity to show the world that São Paulo is a city that respects citizenship and diversity.

Governor Geraldo Alckmin highlighted the economic, touristic, and civic importance of the event for the state, injecting R$ 200 million into the São Paulo economy and attracting three million people from Brazil and abroad. "It's important for citizenship in the sense of establishing rights, preventing intolerance, and advancing the legal framework. The Supreme Court's decision (which legalized same-sex marriage in the country) wouldn't have happened if there hadn't been awareness of the importance of the issue in Brazilian society," he stated.

Also participating in the opening event of the Parade, at the Fecomércio headquarters, were Senator and Vice-President of the Senate Marta Suplicy, Congressman Jean Willys, singer Preta Gil, the president of the Gay Pride Parade Association, Ederaldo Beltrami, the president of the LGBT Association, Toni Reis, actor Sérgio Mamberti representing the Ministry of Culture, and the representative of the Religious Front against Homophobia, Anivaldo Padilha.

During the event, Senator Marta Suplicy announced that there is an effort in Congress to reduce resistance to the bill that criminalizes homophobia in the country. According to her, the negotiation surrounding the text, which has been under consideration for several years and is known as PLC 122, could include changing the bill's number, but not its content, which has been widely criticized by the religious caucus. "They have demonized the bill so much that it's difficult to approve it with this number. How can you say that the devil is no longer the devil?" explained Marta Suplicy.

Without detailing the changes to the text, the senator informed that one of the alterations included in the negotiation with the religious caucus in Congress is in article 20, whose new wording includes the criminalization of those who incite violence against homosexuals. "We managed to reach a middle ground on this issue," she stated.

The bill will be reintroduced to detach itself from the rejection surrounding Bill 122, possibly with a new author. The senator ruled out being the author, but said she could be the rapporteur for the new bill. According to her, there is already an agreement on the content, but it is still necessary to broaden the agreement to include other representatives of the religious caucus in Congress. "If it is not possible to reach an agreement in Congress, the community should seek the Supreme Court," she recommended. Awareness against homophobia has been evolving and growing in society, but this has not been reflected in Congress. "It wasn't Congress that did this (civil union in the Supreme Court), Congress has diminished itself," she criticized. For the senator, what needs to be done now is to attract the segment of Congress that is in favor of homosexual rights but does not speak out.