Mayor bans LGBT cinema shows in public buildings

The mayor of Rio do Sul, in Santa Catarina, José Thomé (PSD), decided to block the holding of an LGBT cinema exhibition, scheduled for March 27th and 28th, at the Cultural Foundation of the municipality of Santa Catarina.

Thomé published a video on social media criticizing the event and stated that it was not prejudice. “I respect, but I do not accept that public authorities encourage this type of practice.”

“It is a matter of respect for Christian principles, what is written in the Bible, and family principles. As a father of two children, minors, who could even participate in this presentation, because the classification is free, dealing with issues of homosexuality, with open doors, I cannot allow that,” he stated.

According to the mayor, “this will never happen” while he is at City Hall. “And I want to make it very clear that I am not a Bolsonarist, radical right, nothing like that. That doesn’t even interest me. But I’m a Christian. I’m a family man,” he declared, suggesting that other mayors in the state ban the event. “Yes, I respect; apology and encouragement certainly go against what we should defend as a city, family, religion and good principles.”

In response to the mayor’s position, the Transforma festival, created by the production company Bapho Cultural, in partnership with the Association in Defense of Human Rights with a Focus on Sexuality (ADEH), issued a note criticizing the ban.

“A very sad moment. We do not want to perpetuate this type of speech, violence, hate. We are here for love, for respect, for welcoming all people, this is what Transforma preaches, the construction of a better society for all people”, the show’s producers announced in a video.

The organizers also declared that “in none of these productions are the premises of morality and integrity disrespected. Quite the contrary, they portray with great respect the plurality and experiences of the LGBTQIAPN+ community.”