Bomb Explodes During São Paulo's Annual Gay Pride Parade

June 15, 2009

Last night, 21 people were injured when a home-made bomb exploded at Largo do Arouche, a plaza in central São Paulo, Brazil.  No serious injuries were reported, but it was one of several hate crimes reported during the annual Gay Pride parade—the world’s largest with an estimated 3 to 3.5 million people in attendance.

Activists called on the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) to support a bill in the Senate that classifies homophobia as a crime. On the issue of same-sex unions, only the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul recognizes their legality, but São Paulo Governor José Serra is a strong supporter of gay rights and has publicly declared his support. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also supports same-sex unions and has expressed his distaste for homophobia calling it a “perverse disease” at the First National Conference of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals in Brasilia in 2008.