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Thousands protest ruling to overturn ban on 'conversion therapy' for gays and lesbians in Brazil
Jill Langlois
SEPTEMBER 22, 2017, 7:05 REPORTING FROM SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Sao Paulo on Friday to protest a court’s recent decision to overturn an 18-year ban on conversion therapy meant to “cure” gay people.
Chants of "it's not a disease" could be heard over songs including Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" as protesters flew rainbow flags and held banners demanding human rights be respected.
"We have to help people understand that this decision wasn't something small," said Carlos Daniel, one of the demonstration organizers. "These types of thoughts are what get us killed here in Brazil every day. We are dehumanized and treated like objects. We have to show everyone that we exist and that the future is ours."
The challenge to the ban — which was instituted in 1999 by Brazil’s Federal Council of Psychology — came in a lawsuit this year from Rozangela Justino, a psychologist and evangelical Christian who had her license revoked in 2016 for offering the therapy and referring to homosexuality as a “disease.”
More:
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-brazil-gay-conversion-therapy-20170922-story.html
LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141872301
