The mayor of Belo Horizonte, Álvaro Damião, established a new commemorative date for the municipality, the Municipal Day of Conjugal Fidelity and Christian Monogamous Marriage, to be celebrated on May 18th. The new law was published this Saturday (25) in the Official Gazette of Belo Horizonte.
The date was proposed in a bill approved by the City Council, authored by councilor Neném da Farmácia (Mobiliza). According to the councilor, the choice of this date “is related to the desire to highlight the importance of fundamental values that support many families in our city. Marital fidelity and monogamous marriage are pillars that, for a large part of the population, represent the foundation of a healthy, structured and lasting coexistence in the family context”, says the justification for the proposition.
The text of Neném da Farmácia also says that, by establishing this date, “the aim is, mainly, to promote reflection on the essential role of the stable union between a man and a woman, highlighting the social benefits of this form of relationship for the community as a whole”.
For the lawyer specializing in LGBTQIA+ rights and family law, Bianca Figueira Santos, the law approved in the municipality violates the Federal Constitution and can be questioned in court.
“This law is worrying because, although it seems like a harmless tribute to family values, it violates fundamental principles of the Constitution, such as the secularity of the State and equality between citizens. By creating an official date to celebrate only Christian, monogamous and heterosexual marriages, the public authorities exclude and devalue other legitimate forms of family, love and faith that also exist and are recognized by Brazilian society and justice”, he states.
According to the lawyer, the symbolic impact of the new date is large and negative. She highlights that, since 2011, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) has recognized same-sex stable unions as family entities, and civil marriage between people of the same sex is a reality in Brazil.
“By institutionally celebrating only marriage ‘between a man and a woman’, the law reinforces a message of exclusion and denies public recognition to families formed by same-sex couples. This goes against the principle of equality and feeds a discriminatory view, as if there were ‘correct’ families and ‘illegitimate’ ones”, he argues.
