Despite recent advances such as the legal recognition of equal marriage in Ecuador and Federal Court sentence in Brazil recognising homophobia as a crime equivalent to other types of discrimination like racism, there are still far too many cases of homophobia in Latin America.

This Pride Month, which will celebrate 50 years since the Stonewall riots that marked the beginning of the fight for LGBT+ freedom, people will take to the streets in celebration of the freedoms gained so far, but also in reflection of the dificulties that remain, especially in Latin America.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, many countries in Latin America have passed laws that allow equal marriage, adoption by LGBT+ couples, and the criminalisation of discrimination. However, an investigation by Transgender Europe shows that violence towards the community in Latin America is higher in the region than it is in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

The LGBT+ in Latin America not only have to deal with violent discrimination but also ignorance from the authorities who often confuse the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Few countries in the region allow trans people to change their gender and the new wave of conservative evangelism has ensured that homophobic discourse, often bordering on violent homophobic discourse, is more common than ever.

That’s why we will explore LGBT+phobia in Latin America and what you need to know to understand the current scenario.

Murders of LGBT+ people in the region

Latin America is the most lethal region for the LGBT+ community in the world, and Brasil the most lethal country. In 2017, 445 murders were registered, and Brazil also leads the world rankings for countries in which most trans people are murdered.