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Gay Brazil
The gay culture of Brazil appears to be thriving in larger cities and particularly in areas such as in Rio de Janeiro, a destination that has always had a strong lure for gay and lesbian travellers.
In general, despite a relatively relaxed atmosphere of tolerance toward the gay scene, attitudes however vary from region to region. While rural areas and smaller towns are likely to have a more conservative outlook, larger cities such as Rio and in Salvador are less so.
The city of Salvador in Brazil northeast is seeing an increase in gay travel to Brazil, which incidentally, also has a strong culture of tranvestism.
But homophobia raises its head even in Brazil's larger cities and discretion and caution is still advised for gay Brazil travel northeast and elsewhere. According to activists, more than 2,800 gay and lesbian people were killed in Brasil between 1963 and 2007 because of their sexual orientation. Figures show that 170 of these lesbian and gay deaths have occurred since 1999, one of which was the gang murder of a gay man.
The Brazil Gay Pride demonstrations, staged in Brazil have to some extent heightened awareness of Brazil gay issues. Despite what is thought to be by far the largest recent demonstration event of its kind in the world in Sao Paulo, which attracted an estimated 3 million people, gay Brazil groups believe they are still experiencing enormous problems around discrimation, violence and intolerance.
A recent arrest of a military personnel following the 'outing' of his sexual orientation has been a cause of concern for Human rights groups who say they are concerned about his welfare. The BBC News 5 June 2008 reported that the Brazilian military police arrested an army sergeant who revealed he was gay. It is noted that 'the arrest happened at the time the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was about to address the country's first national gay rights conference'.
There are numerous website resources, offering tourist information on gay culture in brazil; advice on gay travel to Brazil, in addition to tourist sites which promote Brazil as a lesbian, bisexual, transgender and gay-friendly destination. A good example of this is the recent new gay travel site, theloveland.net, which was launched with the specific aim of encouraging lesbian and gay travel to Brazil for the Gay Pride Parade held during May in São Paulo.
Despite the at times, worrying undercurrents of lesbian-gay bias in Brazil, Brasil recognises the importance and need to promote tourism right across the board and as such, is seen to be 'welcoming and respecting diversity' across the whole of the country and not just in those areas or regions in which lesbian and gay Brasil travellers might possibly feel more tolerated.
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