News

By Julio Severo and Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

BRASILIA, September 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite the official support of President Luiz Lula da Silva, the homosexual movement in Brazil has suffered serious defeats in recent weeks in two cities in the state of Rio de Janeiro as well as the national Chamber of Deputies, Brazil’s lower legislative house.

The first occurred on August 10th, when Dr. Zenobio Fonseca, a candidate for the Niteroi city council, won a suit against a law providing pensions for “partners” of homosexual city employees.

Citing articles from the federal and state constitutions, Dr. Fonseca said that marriage was a union between people of the opposite sex, and therefore, any other relationship could not be granted benefits.  He also declared, “I think that homosexuality cannot be awarded benefits, because we are talking about personal behavior and not anything inherent in human nature.”

On August 21, just five days before Gay Pride Week – which was approved under heavy pressure from the government, activists, and media – city council representatives in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro voted to revoke Law 6.508/08, which established Gay Pride Week in the city, an action that was denounced by homosexual activists and the newspaper O Globo.

The same day, the homosexualist agenda suffered a major defeat at the national level in the Chamber of deputies, when the Chamber voted on the National Adoption Law.  Despite direct pressure from the Special Secretary for Human Rights, which is directly linked to President Lula, Catholic and Evangelical deputies managed to remove the expression “homosexual couple” from the bill.  The expression would have made it possible for homosexual couples to adopt children.

Such opposition is a reminder that, despite enthusiastic support from Brazil’s President Luiz Lula da Silva, large segments of Brazilian society are opposed to the homosexual political agenda.

Although there are very few opinion polls available regarding Brazilian public opinion and homosexuality, a strong majority of over 60 percent of respondents to a 2005 poll said they opposed civil unions for homosexuals, and only 32 percent supported them.

Related LifeSiteNews Coverage:

Brazilian Homosexuals Accused of Manipulating Statistics to Further Political Agenda
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062510.html

Brazilian President: Opposition to Homosexuality is a “Perverse Disease”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060904.html

Brazilian Homosexual Leader Posts Home Addresses of Pro-Family Activists
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08052002.html

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

Brazilian Gay Groups Launch Multiple Lawsuits to Silence Christian Opposition
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07083007.html

Leader of Brazil Homosexual Movement Under Investigation for Pedophilia
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07073011.html