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Brazil considering same-sex unions
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AFTER six years in limbo, legislation is being put to a vote in Congress this week that would make Brazil the first Latin American country to allow same-sex unions.\'
Gay rights activists hope the legislation, which would put Brazil on par with socially liberal France, Sweden or Australia, will help end violence toward homosexuals here. Despite Brazil's high-profile annual Carnival celebration of sexual hedonism, the reality for gay men and lesbians is different and dangerous.
One gay rights group, Gay Group Bahia, lists 130 gay killings last year, most of which have gone unsolved. Three homosexuals were killed with gunshots and stab wounds last week in the small town of Limeiro, and their bodies then were repeatedly run over by a car. Group president Luiz Mott calls Brazil ``the undisputed world champion in gay murders''.
The bill, originally drafted in 1995 by Sao Paulo's left-leaning Mayor Marta Suplicy - then a congresswoman - stops short of institutionalizing full-fledged gay marriages, but would extend benefits such as social security and health plans to same-sex partners and allow them to transfer property rights.
``If it passes, it will be a huge victory not just for gays in Brazil, but for gays all over Latin America,'' said James Green, associate professor at California State University and author of Beyond Carnival, a book that paints Brazil as often hostile to gays.
``It's no longer the most up-to-date law,'' said activist Andre Fischer. ``But it is important to show public opinion here that the rights of gays and lesbians are being recognized and respected.''
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