Senator Soraya Thronicke proposes LGBTIcídio crime in Brazil

Senator Soraya Thronicke has introduced Bill 5.481/2026 to the Brazilian Senate, which proposes the creation of 'LGBTIcídio' as an autonomous crime. The bill defines this as homicide committed due to discriminatory motives related to a victim's sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual characteristics.

The proposal seeks to establish prison sentences ranging from 20 to 40 years and would include the offense in the list of heinous crimes. Additionally, the bill calls for increased penalties for other crimes motivated by discrimination, such as bodily injury, threats, stalking, and inducing or assisting suicide.

Furthermore, the legislation aims to amend the Anti-Racism Law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected factors under crimes of racial insult and incitement to discrimination. The senator stated the goal is to codify protections that currently stem from Supreme Federal Court rulings regarding homophobia and transphobia. The text specifies that the law is not intended to criminalize religious beliefs or opinions, provided there is no demonstrated discriminatory intent in the specific conduct.