Beliefs and ideologies can no longer justify violence against LGBT people, says legal expert.
According to the president of the São Paulo State Council for Human Rights (Condepe), Dimitri Sales, the positive decision of the STF, which judges this Wednesday (13) the criminalization of homophobia and transphobia, elevates the lives of the LGBTI population to a level of effective legal good to be protected by the State, in addition to having a pedagogical character and promoting the creation of public policies.
William De Lucca, 247 - The criminalization of LGBTphobia, to be voted on in the Supreme Federal Court (STF) this Wednesday (13), has three essential functions, according to the president of the State Council for Human Rights of São Paulo (Condepe), Dimitri Sales: to elevate the lives of the LGBTI population to a level of effective legal good to be protected by the State, to criminalize hate conduct and to establish a debate centered on respect for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite and transsexual community.
In an interview with 247, Dimitri, a doctor in constitutional law and specialist in LGBT rights, says that equating LGBTphobia with racism elevates this community to an important level of protection by the State.
"Aggressions against Black people because of their skin color are unacceptable, just as violence against transgender people because of their gender identity will not be tolerated. Acts of discrimination and hate crimes will now be met with the same reprimand from the State, as all these lives are now considered, materially, equal in dignity and rights," explains the expert.
Furthermore, Dimitri points out that criminalizing hate speech against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites, transsexuals, and intersex people will also allow the State to identify the reasons for the violence, adopt public prevention policies, and, at the same time, equip the Civil Police, the Judiciary, and the Public Prosecutor's Office with the necessary tools for the effective investigation and accurate punishment of those who violate the rights of this population.
The change would also have an educational character, since it establishes a new dialogue between the State and society, centered on respect for sexual and gender differences.
"This brings the responsibility for preserving the rights of the LGBTI population into the public sphere, sharing this same responsibility with public officials and ordinary citizens, whether they are military police officers or evangelical pastors. Beliefs, opinions, and ideologies that are contrary to LGBTI rights will no longer be able to justify violence of any kind, making it possible to build a new space for truly plural coexistence. It is a difficult task, but at least now it is becoming possible," concludes Dimitri Sales.