Brazil outlawed "ex-gay" therapy in 1999, but yesterday a congressional commission approved lifting that ban after pressure from evangelicals.
The commission is led by evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano of the Social Christian Party (JMG: above), who has been accused of homophobia and enraged activists by calling AIDS a “gay cancer” in a tweet. His appointment as head the Commission for Human Rights and Minorities in the lower house of Brazil’s Congress was fiercely opposed by gay and human rights groups. “In practice, (the initiative’s) result would be that a person over 18 years of age, responsible for his actions, who is homosexual and wants to reorient his sexuality, can be attended by a psychologist,” said lawmaker Joao Campos, a member of the evangelical bloc of Brazil’s lower house.
The bill must now be approved by other committees in the House of Deputies as well as the Senate.
Labels: Brazil, crackpots, ex-gay, religion
