The aim of this paper is to analyze how the murder of a homosexual was treated at a court in the capital of the Republic of Brazil in mid-twentieth century. Although intrinsically individualizing, criminal records reveal significant aspects on the application of the law in judicial court instances. The juridical and penal culture of the period reproduced continually the same social and cultural standards of Western juridical and penal culture in spite of the contemporary accumulation of knowledge. In other words, pleasure was condemned or, at least, certain forms of feeling pleasure, especially those which directly impaired procreation. Results show that through juridical legality certain types of sexual behavior were repressed, since the law itself did not consider homosexuality a crime.
Juridical and Penal Culture; Human Rights; Homosexuality