Brazil's LGBTQ+ community has been shocked by a series of murders and armed robberies against gay men who met through dating apps.
At least five people have been killed since March and dozens more have been victims of armed robberies, according to Reuters.
One of the latest murder victims was 24-year-old Leo Nunez, who had been exchanging messages with a man he met on the dating app Hornet after the two arranged to meet in person in São Paulo on June 12, Brazil's Valentine's Day.
However, “security cameras captured the moment two men on a motorbike appeared in the alleyway. [Nunes] “Nunez ambushed him, took his cellphone and shot him dead,” Reuters reported. One suspect has been arrested, Nunes' family said.
Brazil has a large and active LGBTQ+ population, but many fear unfair treatment from police, making them targets for criminals. “Because of structural homophobia, criminals know that LGBT people are vulnerable. They know they are easily blackmailed,” lawyer Wanderlei Montanoli told Reuters.
Montanoli represents the family of Eleno Bege Dumba, a gay doctor who was murdered in Sao Paulo in April. Dumba had arranged to meet a man through a dating app, but instead encountered a group of criminals who attempted to rob him and shot him in the head. Police say three people have been arrested.
A man who identified himself only as Gabriel told the news service that he had arranged a date in March near the spot where Nunez was later killed. He, too, met several assailants there. “A guy held a gun to my stomach and asked for my cell phone password,” Gabriel said. The assailants used that information to empty his bank accounts and max out his credit cards.
Dozens of other men have reported using the same fake profile on Hornet to commit similar crimes, he said. Reuters could not independently verify this, but he added that the profile remained on the site for several weeks after he notified Hornet.
“The investigation could have been done before Leo's incident. It didn't need to get to this point,” Gabriel said.
Hornet officials said their staff reviews all reports of abuse and that they have expanded their team to handle the task. A Grindr spokesman said the app includes security features and that the company works with law enforcement to combat abuse.
Nunes' parents argued that his murder was an anti-gay hate crime, but while Brazilian law recognises such crimes, police and judges often avoid labelling such incidents as homophobic. That, along with wider homophobia in society, discourages victims of such crimes from coming forward, lawyers said.
“There is great fear to report, how it will disrupt their lives,” lawyer Vanessa Vieira told Reuters.