RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to the annual report of the non-governmental organization Grupo Gay da Bahia, the number of crimes increased by 8% compared to 2020.
However, this number could be even higher because, according to the organization, the reported numbers of victims represent “only the tip of an iceberg of hate and blood.”
At least 300 LGBTQIA+ people were victims of homophobia in Brazil last year – practically one per day – a figure that continues to make the Samba nation the country with the highest number of murders of this population group on the entire planet.
According to the annual tally published by the NGO Grupo Gay da Bahia, an LGBTQIA+ person is the victim of a violent death every 29 hours in Brazil.
The report indicates that the number of crimes has increased by 8% compared to 2020, which could be even higher since, according to the organization, the number of victims announced represents “only the tip of the iceberg”.
The homosexual collective was the most affected by deadly violence in the country in 2021 when it returned to first place in the ranking of LGBTQIA+ deaths, with 51% of cases after that fateful place was occupied by transgender victims in 2020.
In total, 153 homosexuals lost their lives due to homophobia in the South American giant last year. They were followed by transvestites and transgender victims (110 cases), lesbians (12), and bisexual and transgender men with four cases.
There was also one case of a non-binary person and one case of a heterosexual mistaken for a homosexual.
According to the tally, most victims were murdered (92%), while the remaining 8% committed suicide.
São Paulo was the state with the highest number of deaths (42), followed by Bahia (32), Minas Gerais (27), and Rio de Janeiro (26).
The report also notes that about 47% of the LGBTQIA+ population was between 20 and 39 years old.
This data is based on news published in the media, collected, analyzed, and published by Grupo Gay da Bahia for 40 years but does not reflect “the bloody reality of this population in Brazil.”
According to the founder of the NGO, Luis Mott, “the negligence of the police and the laziness of journalists to accurately record the basic information that is essential to identify the murdered LGBTQIA+ (people)” prevents more accurate documentation of these crimes that reveal “the cultural homotransphobia that taints Brazilian society.”