Brazil: After STF stops city law, Bolsonaro promises to send project against 'gender ideology'

Days after the Federal Supreme Court (STF) unanimously declared a municipal law that vetoed the discussion of gender in schools in Novo Gama (GO) unconstitutional, President Jair Bolsonaro promised to send a bill to the National Congress of federal law with similar content.

On April 24, the 11 ministers of the Court voted against a New Gama law on the so-called "gender ideology". The expression is not recognized in the educational universe. It is used by conservative and religious groups opposed to the debate on sexual diversity and gender identity.

On Tuesday (12 May), shortly before participating in the national flag-raising ceremony in front of the Palácio da Alvorada, in Brasília, Bolsonaro spoke with Father Pedro Stepien, who is a supporter of the president, and with a group of children brought by the priest.

"We know that, by 11 to 0, the Supreme Court overturned a municipal law that prohibited gender ideology. I already asked yesterday [Major] Jorge [Oliveira], our minister [of the General Secretariat], to provide a law, a federal project. And we must present this project today with constitutional urgency ", replied Bolsonaro.

The Supreme Court ruled on an ADPF (complaint of non-compliance with a fundamental precept), proposed by the PGR (Attorney General's Office), against the 2015 municipal law. By the law overturned in the Court, "material with information of gender ideology" was prohibited in the schools of Novo Gama.

The fight against gender approaches gained strength in Brazil with the movement called Escola Sem Partido and also with legislative initiatives linked to Bolsonarist groups. The rapporteur of the action at the Supreme Court, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, agreed with the PGR's understanding that the law violates "formal and material" principles and constitutional provisions. Read more via Folha