Homophobic and
transphobic violence has been reported across countries and regions and ranges
“from aggressive, sustained psychological bullying to physical assault,
torture, kidnapping and targeted killings. […] Attacks on people because of
their sexual orientation or gender identity are often driven by a desire to
punish those seen as defying gender norms and are considered a form of
gender-based violence.” Despite States’ obligations under international law to
protect the rights of LGBTI persons, few countries have adopted adequate
systems for monitoring and reporting homophobic and transphobic hate crimes.[1]
Homophobic and
transphobic violence in the context of electoral processes harms LGBTI persons
and affects negatively the realization of their political rights, including the
right to vote and to stand for election. Inflammatory and hate speech used by
candidates that oppose human rights of LGBTI persons can result in an increase
of attacks against this community at different stages of the electoral cycle.
In Costa Rica, for instance, a substantial increase of attacks against LGBTI
persons were registered following the first round of the presidential
elections, with an election campaign dominated by the debate on marriage laws
and anti-LGBTI remarks by one of the main presidential candidates.[2]
Furthermore, openly LGBTI candidates, public officers and political activists
often suffer from harassment and attacks around the world. In Pakistan,
transgender candidates and associations denounced threats and intimidation ahead
of the 2018 electoral process.[3]
In the United States, in 2018, Christine Hallquist, the first transgender woman
to win a major party’s nomination for governor in Vermont, said she had been
receiving death threats since winning her party’s primary.[4]
