2023-09-29 22:32:23
The popularly called “gay marriage”, despite being legally recognized in Brazil in the civil sphere since 2011, when the Federal Supreme Court (STF) ruled on the issue, continues to be the target of questions from the national conservative political wing, and also outside it. .
This week, the matter was debated again in the Social Security, Social Assistance, Childhood, Adolescence and Family Committee, in the Chamber of Deputies, where Bill 5167/09, drafted by federal deputy Pastor Eurico, is being discussed.
On the occasion, psychologist Marisa Lobo, a Christian specialized in Human Rights and author of books on family issues, was presenting arguments against equating “constitutional marriage”, according to her inspired by Judeo-Christian values, with homosexual civil union, or “ gay marriage”.
Distinction and rights
Marisa Lobo explained that PL 5167/09 does not have the objective of prohibiting “gay marriage”, as several media have wrongly propagated. The intention, according to the expert, is to distinguish traditional marriage from same-sex unions, which does not imply restrictions on rights.
According to Article 226 of the Federal Constitution, the State only recognizes the “stable union between a man and a woman as a family entity, and the law must facilitate its conversion into marriage”.
“This is the definition we adopt when referring to constitutional marriage”, says Marisa in an article published in your column from GospelMais. Next, the psychologist clarifies that the concern of the conservative and Christian wing is not with the maintenance of homosexual civil unions, since this was already defined by the STF years ago.
The objective, then, is to ensure that the constitutional marriage model and its prerogatives are not used “as tools of political-ideological imposition against the religious segment, precisely the conservative one”, by radical LGBT+ activists.
Regarding this, the expert justifies saying that, despite the Brazilian Constitution and international declarations, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, guaranteeing the full right to religious freedom, which means preaching, teaching and worship, Christians have been suffering judicial intimidation, precisely because of the opposing view of “gay marriage.”
“Right here in Brazil, in July 2022, two young women named Bianca dos Santos Ventura, aged 23, and Isabella Santiago Pereira, aged 21, alleged that they had been victims of ‘homophobia’ on the part of pastor Omar Zaracho, who is a celebrant of wedding, after having a request to hold a ceremony rejected by the religious,” recalled Marisa.
The psychologist also cited individual cases of Christians who were targets of justice because they refused to provide services for same-sex ceremonies, such as the American confectioner Jack Phillipsthe couple Cynthia and Robert Gifford and the American photographer Emilee Carpenter, who was fined US$100,000 for this reason.
Risk of persecution
Based on these examples, Marisa Lobo understands that if constitutional marriage is equated with homosexual union, activists could use this as an argument to take legal action against Christian churches, pastors, priests and/or others.
“If today they are trying to force us to give up our conscience, under the allegation of ‘hate speech’ and ‘homophobia’”, says Marisa, “what guarantees us that tomorrow a Church and its pastor will not be targets of the same accusations? , and could suffer reprisals because of this?”.
“The examples I cited above are foreshadowings of what pastors, priests and other religious leaders may face in the near future, if radical LGBTQIA+ activism decides to take advantage of an equation of homosexual union with constitutional marriage, between man and woman, to want to take legal action in the sense of wanting to interpret religious marriage ceremonies as part of acquired ‘rights’”, says the psychologist.
Family concept
Dealing with the same subject, the expert explained that the intention to distinguish homosexual civil union from constitutional marriage also involves the concept of family, in this case, as an institution that is formed not only by affection, but also by the ability to “perpetuate one’s own species”.
“I understand that both fatherhood and motherhood are not just social functions, being reduced to cultural symbolism. Before that, they are also biological definitions that begin with the differentiation of male and female sexes”, says Marisa in another article, this time for guide me.
The psychologist recognizes that two people of the same sex can form a family through emotional ties, but argues that family formation goes beyond that, and is also characterized by the natural capacity for reproduction (something that should not be confused with anomalies, such as infertility), hence heredity.
In other words, the idea of family defended by conservatives also involves family formation as resulting from an arrangement that is biologically compatible with reproduction, and not just the emotional aspect.
“The roles that both play in the family, man and woman, were/are generated as a result of sexual differences, at a biological level”, argues Marisa, citing authors such as Donald Woods Winnicott to explain that this is also important for the formation of children.
“As far as we, Christians and conservatives are concerned, it is not the removal of acquired rights, but the distinction between traditional marriage, as stated in the Constitution, and same-sex civil marriage,” she says.
“It is necessary, as it involves issues that can invade the sphere of religious freedom, which is one of our great concerns”, concludes.
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