Brazilian police are searching for a gang of skinheads responsible for the torture and murder of a gay teen found in Sao Paulo this month, just blocks away from the the Sao Paulo stadium that will host the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony this summer.
Authorities allegedly believed Kaique Batista dos Santos, 16, originally committed suicide, but suspected foul play after learning that his wallet had been stolen, his teeth had been pulled out with pliers, and his body, disfigured beyond recognition, had endured a battering that eventually led to his death.
The teen was reportedly attending a party at a gay club in downtown Sao Paulo earlier in the evening on Saturday, January 12, before his body was discovered days later. His friends reportedly believed he left the club early because he had to work the next morning. The case is “utterly horrific,” said party organizer Cristiano Pacheco. “He was a quiet kid, everyone loved him. Plucking teeth, iron bars – how can people do that?”
Batista dos Santos’ family believes he was targeted because of his race and sexuality. His sister, Tanya told reporters “These thugs enjoy beating and torturing with their bare hands and they are pleased to take the lives of homosexuals. He had bruises to his head and was probably kicked to death.”
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A vigil will be held for Kaique in Largo do Arrouche, a town square, today. Following the vigil, gay rights activists will march from the square to where the body was found.
[Photo: Gay Star News]
Caleb in SC
Jesus, are these police stupid? In what alternate universe could this even remotely be considered a suicide?
Black Pegasus
Proof that evil still exists in the world.
KDub
@Caleb in SC: Yeah, don’t be surprised if they’re not investigating even now that they “suspect foul play”. Homophobic violence is totally acceptable in Latin American countries. They’re such fvcking animals. There are also many videos online of teens from those countries lighting dogs on fire and laughing as the dog shrieks until it dies. It’s some type of sick trend there. Tells a lot about the mentalities. They obviously have no regard for life, period.
Raphael
In the article lacks the information that there was also an iron bar pierced his leg. The police thought it could be suicide because he was found under a bridge, they thought that the injuries were because he jumped from the bridge.
Raphael
@KDub: Are you crazy? Nothing you said is true, if you were speaking of Africa…
stadacona
Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in the world…more dangerous than Mexico. Latinos are VERY violent.
Raphael
@stadacona: See the 2013 UN statistics, the rate in Brazil is almost the same as the U.S.
KDub
@stadacona: And very homophobic too.
KDub
@Raphael: It’s all true. Africa too. Same difference.
Raphael
@KDub: Every week there is an article about violence against homosexuals in this site, and the vast majority are in the U.S. Here in Brazil gay marriage is allowed in the entire country, the gay parade SP is the world’s largest, there are gays in tv shows, artists, actors, gay singers… Completely different from those homophobic countries. Do not talk nonsense if you dont known about the country, yes there is violence, just like in your country. We are not a violent and homophobic country like you want people here to believe.
Alexjr1990
I am Brazilian and yes it is a very homophobic and sexist country.
Gay marriage is allowed only with the Supreme Court, if the people or rulers would hardly be legalized.
Gay parade is something useless, only serves to reinforce stereotypes.
Gay characters on soap operas something very recent, without any show of affection, there was never a gay kiss on TV. And the openly gay artists are a very small number, the vast majority lesbians. No actor is openly gay.
There has been progress, there was much backspace too, thanks in part to increased evangelicals, but also because the Brazilian gay community is disunited and gay activism is disorganized.
Sorry for English
northwest
Horrible.
Red_Dragon_888
I fear that the Russian shin heads are behind this.
jimbryant
Brazil is a very homophobic country. Don’t be swayed by the idea that it is gay-friendly simply because it has Mardi Gras where men with six-pack abs flaunt their bodies.
A lot of you automatically equate men flaunting their gym-toned bodies with gay acceptance. LOL. It’s not the case. Look at Australia with its Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, for instance. Just because it’s a huge parade of nearly-naked men, it doesn’t mean the country of Australia is progressive for gay people.
Get out of your gay bubbles, people. Start looking at the world in an overall sense. Think laterally. Pigs might fly too, I know.
2eo
@Red_Dragon_888: They’re not, the South American skinhead culture is about 30 years older than the Russian fascist movement. If anything it could be argued South America has in fact exported more fascism than any other continent since the end of WWII.
Sadly this didn’t even make Sao Paolo local news or paper, that in itself shows the true nature of the law in Brazil.
NG22
What a heinous crime. My condolences to his loved ones. Best of luck to the entire Brazilian LGBT community as its members process this loss and consider their own safety.
alanj
@jimbryant:
I’m not sure what benefit you think it is to insert your well worn opinion of ” the country of Australia” ( quaint ) into this comment thread unless you think it is in South America?
Once again you forgot to state “IN MY OPINION Brazil is a very……” & “IN MY OPINION it doesn’t mean Australia…..” Because the statements you make have no qualifying facts, stats or sources.
Mind you if you ever did any of that Pigs May Indeed Fly!!
This article is about a shocking murder of a teen by fascist thugs and should remind us not to become complacent as it could happen in our own backyard. There is no point claiming one country is worse than another, in my opinion and experience all countries have homophobia. The more important question is: How do we stop it altogether?
LAman
Sometimes I forget how homophobic the world can be. Hopefully one day people won’t use violence to show their intolerance.
Raphael
People here need to grow up, everywhere in the world there is homophobic crimes, as I’ve said before, every week in this site has an article about homophobia in the U.S. and now just because there was a crime here, Brazil has become the most violent and homophobic country.
So, to these people: Grow up, stop living in a fantasy world! In all countries there is a bit of homophobia, and I guarantee that Brazil is not the worst of them!
KDub
Looks like everyone gets it but you, Raphael. Look at Alexjr1990’s comment. And let’s not compare the US to Brazil. In 2008, the US had 25 anti-gay murders while Brazil had nearly 200! Also, keep in mind that the US population is over 100 million people greater than Brazil’s, yet still more anti-gay homocide in Brazil. But it’s interesting/disturbing that marriage equality hasn’t changed much of the violence towards gays in Brazil. Guess the hatred is just that strong. Like I said, the behavior in Latin American countries is way closer to Africa than it is to the US.
Raphael
@KDub: Are you really using a statistic of 2008? Data from 6 years ago? Our behavior does not have anything even close to Africa, by the way, Russia is much more similar to them. Anyway, I’m tired, if you do not want to believe those who live in the country and prefer to think your assumptions about a place you’ve never been are absolute and accurate, feel free.
tjr101
This is heart breaking, no one deserves to die like this. And for the ignorant commenters above, this can happen anywhere. America itself has a lot of blood on our hands when it comes to racism and homophobic attacks. Get off your “moral high horse” fools.
rickhfx
Violence is second nature for most straight people. Just look at all the wars straight people start. The jails are filled with straight criminals. Most crimes are done by straight people.
tada-no
And we all assumed Brazil was paradise for gays compared to the South because there are all these flashy carnivals and sexy men.
seaki
You know what I’m tired of this shyt, Yall silly hen picked bitches arguing over who is more violent when we Should. Be carrying, ready to mace, shoot, beat, and stab ANYBODY that is trying to hurt us. Yall white queens have a LOT to learn over here in the BRONX, I keeps mace, pepper spray and a tasor in my back pack (Iusually just carry my pepper spray though) WE DESERVE to live like everybody else, get you some self defense classes, buy some pepper spray and so these mutherfukas who is boss bitch!!!STOP being damn punks, defend yourselves. As far as this child, GOD bless him Iwish I could have been there. I would have prayed and tasored all their homophobic asses till they dropped and begged for me to stop. Yall need to be Bosses of your lives, STOP letting these idiots beat on yall!!
seaki
And don’t give me that “But I’m none violence,I’ll just call the cops”,…..Tell that to the animals that are trying to cave your skull in. BITCHES,we are FINALLY getting our rights and they are MAD!!!Get you some self defense classes, carry you some pepper spray, get u a permit for it, and walk these damn streets like theHUMAN being you is!!!!I’m tired of this mess!!!
Big mama Auntie Seaki says so!!!!
Kangol
@2eo:
This did make the local São Paulo papers. In fact it was in the major São Paulo paper, Folha de São Paulo.
See:
Adolescente gay é achado desfigurado após se perder em festa em SP
and:
Folha de São Paulo: Blogay: Até quando?
A search of other papers turns up similar articles.
Dionte
Poor kid.
Raphael
Unfortunately police was right, even the family agrees. According videos, exams and the boy’s diary, it really was suicide. Security footage next to where the body was found shows him around 4am, he was unaccompanied and with clear signs of intoxication. He hit his face on the curb, that’s why he had lost some teeth, and the alleged iron bar was actually the femur, a compound fracture.
Unfortunately the boy took his own life, and I think its important to be told what really happened.
http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/cidades,mae-reconhece-que-jovem-gay-achado-morto-em-sp-cometeu-suicidio,1121080,0.htm