In July 2018, Leandro Prior gave another man a peck on the lips while he was riding the subway in São Paulo. The kiss caused an uproar, leading to death threats and calls for him to quit his job. Why did this simple act unleash such a strong reaction in the city that hosts the largest LGBT+ pride parade in South America? It wasn’t what he was doing, but what he was wearing that made Mr. Prior a headline.
Leandro Prior was and still is a private in São Paulo’s military police. On that day on the subway, he was in uniform, and a bystander took a hidden video of him and his partner. The footage was shared on WhatsApp messenger and spread across groups until it reached the screens of fellow police officers. From that point on, Mr. Prior faced discrimination both from his colleagues and from the general public.
There are no rules, official or otherwise, against public displays of affection by uniformed officers in Brazil, meaning the attacks meted out to the officer were acts of homophobia. At the time of the events, the Supreme Court had not yet ruled to...
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