May 17 is a historic milestone for the LGBTQIA+ population – 05/17/2023 – Policies and Justice

Today represents a milestone for the LGBTQIA+ population. It was only on May 17, 1990 that the World Health Organization (WHO) removed the term “homosexuality” from its catalog of diseases. Since then, the date has been celebrated worldwide as the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia and other forms of oppression of dissident sexualities.

Since then, the LGBTQIA+ population has celebrated several achievements, thanks to the mobilization of activists, organized social movements, the Judiciary and also the more active role of companies around the defense of the human rights of this group.

However, in Brazil these advances are still fragile and run the constant risk of setbacks. Just remember that just over three years ago, in 2019, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) criminalized LGBTphobia and equated it with the crime of racism. It is still expected that the National Congress will approve a specific law to combat and punish homophobic and transphobic conduct in the same way that racial crimes are punished.

Although LGBTQIA+ people have won some victories, many barriers still resist, and they gain intensity when considering generational, racial or gender identity cuts. The issue of violence is among the main problems.

A dossier produced by the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra), shows that the country is the one that most kills trans and transvestites in the world for the 14th consecutive year. Paradoxically, Brazil is also the country that hosts the largest LGBTQIA+ Pride parade on the planet, in São Paulo.

In addition to violence, the lack of opportunities to access the job market, especially for trans and transvestites, is another barrier that is drastically imposed. When we look at this group and their relationship to entrepreneurship, we identify even more challenges.

The survey “LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurship 50+ generations”, carried out in partnership by Itaú Viver and Instituto Mais Diversidade, found that, for around 60% of respondents, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community increased the challenges in opening and managing the company.

The same study also identified that 13.9% of the LGBTQIA+ population over fifty opened their own business motivated by the need to “earn a living” and “by the difficulty of finding a job” —the highest rate among all age groups. That is, there is an overlapping of layers of oppression when factors such as age are added.

It is against this backdrop that widespread discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and other affective-sexual characteristics plays a central role in denying equal opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people.

Faced with facts and data like these, people and organizations can and should act on fronts as broad as strengthening civil society in this agenda, defending diversity and betting on the value of representativeness of LGBTQIA+ professionals in leadership positions. In addition, they can use communication and digital networks as a powerful tool to create new symbologies, eliminate stereotypes and minimize prejudices.

The editor, Michael França, asks each participant of the space “Politics and Justice” of the Sheet suggest a song to the readers. In this text, the one chosen by Ricardo Sales was “Mar e Lua”, by Chico Buarque.

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