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Brazil President Suspends School Anti-Homophobia Campaign

Under considerable pressure from evangelical Christians, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has suspended an anti-homophobia campaign scheduled to begin in schools this year, reports the AP.

Presidential secretary Gilberto Carvalho met with legislators representing religious groups that have opposed the campaign and emerged to say that Rousseff decided to delay the program. He did not provide details on what material in the videos and pamphlets was considered inappropriate by Rousseff. The materials were to be distributed to children of varying ages across Brazil.

"The government maintains its clear position against any type of homophobia," Carvalho said. "It's important that this material, to be productive and to reach its goals, be the result of extensive consultation with society, to not generate this type of controversy."

The civil rights group Grupo Gay da Bahia says 260 gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people were murdered in Brazil last year. That was up 113 percent from 2005.

"Evangelical church groups and their allies in Congress threatened to block any upcoming legislation unless President Rousseff halted the films," adds the BBC.

LGBT activists are outraged and want the decision reversed.

In March, the U.S. and Brazil announced they would promote LGBT rights among member nations of the Organization of American States Earlier this month, Brazil's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that same-sex civil unions must be recognized.

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Obama and Brazilian Pres. Roussef to Push for LGBT Rights at OAS

The Obama Administration and Brazil have announced they will promote LGBT rights among member nations of the Organization of American States. This is the second foreign policy initiative in as many days regarding global LGBT issues from the White House.

In a joint statement released by President Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the leaders announced mutual commitments between the U.S. and Brazil. In the section on "Democracy, Human Rights, Racial Equality and Social Inclusion," the presidents noted the "need to promote respect for the human rights of LGBT people" and announced plans to establish a "special rapporteur" at OAS.

They agreed to cooperate in advancing democracy, human rights and freedom for all people bilaterally and through the United Nations and other multilateral fora, including ensuring respect for human rights in the context of the democratic movements and transitions; strengthening the UN Human Rights Council as recently demonstrated in the case of the creation of the Commission of Inquiry on Libya; promoting respect for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals through the establishment of a Special Rapporteur at the OAS; and improving the conduct of free and fair elections regionally and globally, including through the promotion of human rights in the context of elections and increasing their accessibility to disabled persons. rapporteur" at OAS.

Brazil's twenty-six states and Distrito Federal have made progress on LGBT rights in recent years. In December 2010, the federal government decreed that members of same-sex couples are entitled to social security survivor’s benefits in the event of the partner’s death.

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