NEOPENTECOSTALS AND HATE SPEECH AGAINST LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE

Abstract

This article examines the dissemination of hate speech against LGBTQIA+ individuals within the Brazilian neopentecostal context, focusing on a church located in Belém, Pará. The study aims to analyze how church members perceive LGBTQIA+ people and samesex unions. It employs a qualitative approach grounded in historicaldialectical materialism, combining bibliographical research and structured   interviews conducted with eight active members of the selected church. The data are analyzed using content analysis. The findings show that participants associate homosexuality with sin, illness, and a threat to the family, reflecting discourses disseminated by religious leaders and members of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front. These perceptions rely on literalist interpretations of Scripture and moralities shaped by compulsory heteronormativity. The statements reveal the naturalization of discriminatory practices, the pathologization of LGBTQIA+ identities, and the legitimization of social exclusion. The study concludes that the articulation between religion and politics reinforces hate speech, challenges democratic principles, and highlights the need for educational initiatives that strengthen state secularism and promote respect for human diversity.