Tens of thousands of people in Brazil have taken to the streets to protest a new law allowing psychologists to treat homosexuals and try to “cure” them.
Overturning an 18-year ban, the law has allowed for “conversion therapy,” terming homosexuality as a disease, latimes reports.
Carlos Daniel, one of the protest’s organizers said:
We have to help people understand that this decision wasn’t something small.
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 18-year ban came in the decision of a case of Rozangela Justino, a psychologist and evangelical christian who had her license revoked for referring to homosexuality as a disease and offering to cure it.
The judge Waldemar de Carvalho, ruling in her favor, said that people willing to seek help and reverse their sexuality voluntarily should not be prevented.
The judge has in the wake of the protests released a statement saying his judgement was misunderstood, and that he didn’t say homosexuality is a disease.
Conversion therapy is known to have no effect on homosexuality, and in fact has been found to be sometimes harmful.
The protest had made its way to social media, Twitter users using the hashtag #curagay, Portuguese for cure gay.
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