Currently, Brazil holds an undesirable position when it comes to LGBT rights. It is at the top of the list of American countries in LGBT murders, and it is also the world leader in transgender murders. The data was provided by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

Every 19 hours, an LGBT person dies in Brazil. According to the Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB), 445 Brazilians were murdered last year for being LGBT. This nightmare scenario also applies to transgender people. Every 26 hours, one of them is murdered in Brazil, according to Rede Trans Brasil. The life expectancy of these people is of 35 years.

The reflection proposed on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, which was celebrated yesterday (17/5) all around the world, grows increasingly significant. This date is a real benchmark in the fight for LGBT rights, for it is celebrated on the same day the World Health Organization (WHO) stopped considering homosexuality as a disease.

The history of Fiocruz is marked by different initiatives for the LGBT population, such as the Dandarah app, launched at the end of 2019 to increase the safety level of this population. The tool is a platform that maps the most violent areas for the LGBT population by means of information uploaded by the users themselves. In addition to preserving lives, the purpose of the app is to facilitate access to information, complaints and records. Dandarah is the result of a partnership between the Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health (Ensp/Fiocruz), the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra), and the Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites, Transsexuals and Intersex (ABGLT).

Another ongoing project supported by Fiotec is PrEP1519, a major study that assesses the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEp) among teenagers from three Brazilian capitals: Salvador, Belo Horizonte and São Paulo. The initiative, which focuses on gay people, men who have sexual relations with men, transgender women, and transvestites, relies on a multidisciplinary team to ensure their right to citizenship, because these same groups face prejudice and discrimination when seeking medical care at traditional health units. PrEP1519 is financed by Unitaid, an international agency linked to the WHO that invests in innovations to prevent, diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS.

Both projects were the main subject of the last edition of the Conexão Fiotec-Fiocruz newsletter, elaborated before all the changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The full articles can be accessed through this link.

Information from the Brasil de Fato portal.