Recognized by a shoe, the body of Lorena Fox was found seven days after her disappearance, in March of this year, in the city of Luís Eduardo Magalhães, in western Bahia. At the age of 27, the trans woman was beaten to death and her body was only identified after a high heel was found lying next to the corpse. The victim lived in an LEM brothel, divided between eight trans and transvestite women in the city, where 108,000 people live. In April, two suspects were arrested for involvement in Lorena’s murder, one of them even confessed to having beaten the woman to death and even set fire to the body because of the amounts charged in a program.
On National LGBTQIA+ Pride Day, this Wednesday (28), it is important to analyze the scenario of violence against people who are represented by the acronym. According to the survey carried out by the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB), the state of Bahia occupies the first place in the ranking of Brazilian states with the highest number of violent deaths in 2022: 27 deaths, which represents 10.54% of the national number .
Conducted for 43 years, the Violent Deaths Observatory points to 755 deaths of LGBTQIA+ people in Bahia since 1980, when Luiz Mott, a retired professor at the Department of Anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia (Ufba) and responsible for the survey, founded the GGB. Data from the Observatory indicate an average of 17.5 deaths per year, which exceeds numbers from states three times more populous, such as São Paulo, second in the national ranking, with 22 deaths last year.
Lorena’s murder is one of the 139 violent deaths recorded against LGBTQIA+ people in Brazil, between January and June 2023, a partial survey carried out by the entity this year. CORREIO requested the numbers for Bahia, but did not receive a response as of the publication of this article.
“There is unexplained variation from year to year. There are years when the number is higher and does not have a logical sociological explanation, that is, the variation does not have a regularity that can be predicted or diagnosed”, points out Mott.
The survey also presented the profiles of victims of violent deaths in Brazil last year. Of the 256, 134 were gay, 110 transvestites/transsexuals, five bisexuals, four lesbians, two heterosexuals who were mistaken for gays and one trans man. The age group indicates that the predominant age group is between 18 and 29 years old in 73.7% of the cases, while the color group indicates a greater number of victims identified as brown (46.8%).
According to Luiz Mott, three points need to be reinforced to combat violence against LGBTQIA+ people in the country.
“First: sex education in schools, teaching young people and children that being gay is not a crime, it is not something shameful, it is not a disease, it is not a sin and that you have to respect transvestites, gays. Second: public policies that guarantee LGBT citizenship. In the police stations, they should be treated with respect, there should be investigation of crimes and severe punishment of criminals. And third: that the legislation already approved in Brazil, such as the criminalization of homophobia, its equivalence to racism, that these laws be applied, with the same rigor that punishes racism, a non-bailable crime.”
Despite never having suffered physical or verbal violence, young apprentice Camile Araújo, 19, does not feel comfortable showing affection to her boyfriend in public. Born and raised in Salvador, she says she was the victim of evil looks, harassment and intimidation by some men in the capital.
“I feel deeply saddened and scared. I’ve lived in Salvador since I was born, and despite the love I feel for the city, I don’t feel safe. I avoid kisses, caresses and even holding my girlfriend’s hand, precisely because we have already been intimidated and harassed, “she reports.
Camile highlights the importance of fighting for rights in Brazil, the country that kills the most LGBTQIA+ in the world, according to the GGB. “Above all, living in the state that kills the most in our country is a constant struggle! Fighting and making people aware of our rights guarantees our survival in our country and in the world”, he points out.
Inhibition due to fear also affects university student Danilo Isaac. Victim of homophobic comments and behavior since childhood, the 22-year-old learned to deal with the situation by force, but still suffers from trauma generated within the school environment.
“There is a fear, because I know the seriousness of violence in this city. There is always distrust, I look around, I make sure we are safe. But I refuse to deprive myself of public demonstrations of affection to those I love and chose to be by their side. Never I suffered physical violence because of it, but I know people and friends who have. It is deeply regrettable every life lost, every dream interrupted and every heart torn apart by this senseless intolerance.”
Upon being informed about the state’s alarming data, Danilo regrets the critical situation. “Our Bahia is so well known for its rich cultural diversity and welcoming of different identities, it should not witness such atrocities. Every LGBTQIA+ individual whose life is taken is an immense loss to the community as a whole. These are interrupted dreams, wasted potentials and stories that will never be told. I think it is a painful blow in our search for an inclusive society, where all people can live without fear of being who they are”, he says.
State Public Security Secretariat (SSP-BA)
Contacted by CORREIO, the State Public Security Secretariat (SSP-BA) states that “through the Violence Prevention Superintendence (Sprev), it understands the need to work together with other institutions to expand protection and reception actions aimed at the LGBTQIAPN+ audience, therefore, it maintains continuous dialogue with the Secretariats for Policies for Women (SPM), Justice, Human Rights (SJDH) and Assistance and Social Development”.
“The objective of the security forces is to offer, more and more, a capable and respectful welcome and attention to the population. The SSP is in dialogue with the other secretariats for the consolidation of actions that give new meaning to the entire confrontation”, says an excerpt from the note.
Specialist in Human Rights Education, lawyer Arnaldo de Santana explains that crimes against LGBTQIAPN+ people have been included, since 2019, in Art. 20 Law 7.716/1989, which criminalizes racism. However, it is important that community-directed crimes are spelled out and specifically state that the rape happened because of your sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
According to the lawyer, the penalties for this type of crime, against the community, vary according to the form, location and severity of the violence committed. “Article 20 of Law 7,716/1989 establishes some modalities, the main imprisonment being from one to three years. from two to five years. In that same system, there is the incidence of a fine that must be paid in addition to imprisonment. There is also the possibility that the violence passes through other axes and the framing is not only LGBTQIAPN+phobia, being applicable, in addition to these possible penalties, the insertion of other penalties brought by the crime committed together. An example would be the attempted homicide, insult, defamation or other crimes that endanger both the physical, social and moral integrity of the offended person. In these cases, it is possible for the judge responsible for the analysis to indicate that the crimes occurred in competition, and it is possible to establish rules for both crimes”, points out Arnaldo.
*Under the guidance of Deputy Chief Reporter Monique Lôbo
