A gay man has been brutally burned to death in Brazil
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A gay man has been burned to death in Brazil.
The charred body of the homeless black man, who was known only as Alexandre, was found in an abandoned parking lot.
Those who knew Alexandre said he was “very friendly and considerate”.
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He is said to have often sold dishcloths at a market in the Vera Cruz area of Sao Paulo.
The rate at which LGBT+ people in the country are murdered has now exceeded one per day this year for the first time.
Alexandre was sleeping in the shed-like structure when it was set on fire, according to teleSUR.
Pride parade in Sao Paulo (Getty)
Firefights and other emergency personnel were sent to the Jardim Marina neighborhood, but found only a burned corpse.
Jorge Morais, a local teacher, spoke warmly about Alexandre.
“He was very friendly and considerate,” Morais said.
“It’s not the first time this happened.
“They set him on fire about two months ago.”
Protest against ‘gay cure’ therapy (Getty)
Alexandre was only staying in that spot because the kiosk where he had previously been sleeping had been sold recently, and the new older had forced him to move, Morais said.
“That’s why he came to live here,” he explained.
In the police report, authorities have stated that a fire led to a “suspicious death”.
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However, Police Superintendent Ruy de Mattos has said there is not yet enough evidence to say the fire was a deliberate, criminal act, or that it was motivated by homophobia.
“We’re interviewing some witnesses and can only make a determination after the investigation,” he said.
“We need witnesses who can tell us what happened in order to confirm the motivations.”
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The victim’s remains have been given to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Though Brazil legalised same-sex marriage in 2013 and hosts the world’s largest Pride celebration, LGBT attacks are upsettingly common.
A survey earlier this year found that one LGBT person was killed every 25 hours in Brazil throughout 2016.
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That figure now stands at less than every 24 hours in 2017.
Of the 343 LGBT people murdered last year, 173 of them – more than half – were gay men.
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Thousands of people marched through the streets of Sao Paulo earlier this year to protest the legalisation of so-called ‘gay cure’ therapy.
In September, a judge in the country overturned an 18-year ban on the practice which some falsely claim ‘cures’ people of homosexuality.
