By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

March 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the last month the Brazilian government has fined one organization and upheld the censorship of another for rejecting the socialist regime’s endorsement of homosexual behavior.

On March 3 the Department of Justice fined the Association of Public Functionaries 14,800 reais (8,559 dollars), for “discrimination” for refusing to allow one of its homosexual members to register his sexual partner as his “spouse”.

The federal government of Brazil does not recognize same-sex “marriage”, nor “civil unions” for homosexuals, and the only state that does so is Rio do Sul. However, Brazilian judges often apply liberal interpretations of the law that conform to their particular ideology.

“Denying inclusion to a dependent of the same sex is at the very least conservative conduct on the part of the entity, which is unacceptable and is not supported by its own legal code,” said Luiz Antonio Guimarães Marrey of the Secretariat of Justice, referring to the fact that the Association’s code does not mention homosexual couples.

“It’s important to consider that the severity of old forms of morality should give way to new social realities, to new customs,” he added.

A court in the state of Paraíba also upheld a ruling against the Evangelical Protestant organization, National Vision for a Christian Conscience (VINACC), which was convicted in June of last year of “homophobia”, a crime that does not exist in Brazilian law.

The original ruling ordered VINACC to cease their campaign, In Defense of the Family, and to remove a billboard that stated “Homosexuality: And God made them man and woman and saw that it was good.”

The new ruling, issued by Judge Emília Neiva de Oliveira, upholds the old ruling and decrees that the organization will be subject to a fine of 500 reais (287 dollars) per day if they violate the order.

See Previous LifeSiteNews.com Coverage:

Brazilian Homosexuals File “Hate” Charges Against Brazilian Christians
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112805.html

Brazil Attacks Against Family Defenders Backed by Pro-Homosexual Regime of Nation’s President
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07073108.html