Psychologists in Brazil will once again be able to offer "sexual reorientation therapies" to gay people. The decision, which has sparked a storm of controversy in the Latin American nation, was handed down by a federal judge in Brasília, Waldemar de Carvalho, who stated that "a professional cannot be prevented from offering therapies to homosexual citizens, should they so wish."

"This takes Brazil back to the Middle Ages"

It was, in fact, a group of psychologists who turned to the courts to request exemption from a regulation passed in Brazil in 1999, which had prohibited "cures" aimed at orienting patients towards heterosexuality. The debate – even from a scientific standpoint – had, moreover, appeared to have been settled long ago: suffice it to say that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of officially recognised illnesses nearly thirty years ago, back in 1990.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9OKFrydUsY
The judge, however, chose to grant the request, despite the National Council of Psychology having issued an opinion against it. The body has announced that it will lodge an appeal, as in its view the decision violates human rights and "takes Brazil back to the Middle Ages." Furthermore, the Council itself – as reported by French radio broadcaster France Info – stressed that "in many cases it is not the patients who request this type of treatment, but their families."

343 homosexuals killed in 2016

In Brazil, the issue of homosexuality still appears to be far from resolved. According to the non-governmental organisation Grupo Gay da Bahia (Ggb), which carries out an annual census of homophobic murders, 117 killings were recorded in the first four months of 2017 alone. As many as 343 people were killed on account of their sexual orientation in 2016: almost one a day — something that is hard to believe.

"The problem is that in Brazil there are no laws that punish homophobia. And impunity reinforces everyday violence, trivialising this type of crime," explained Genilson Coutinho, a member of Ggb, speaking to the press agency Agencia Brasil. The NGO Transgender Europe also identifies Brazil as the most dangerous country for the LGBT community: between 2008 and 2016, there were 900 murders, out of a total of 2,264 recorded worldwide.
The federal court's decision also prompted a reaction from several prominent figures in the South American nation: Ivete Sangalo, one of Brazil's most celebrated singers, wrote on Instagram: "The ones who are sick are those who believe in this great absurdity."