Samuel Luiz was brutally murdered on the night of July 3 after leaving a pub in A Coruña, Spain. The 24-year-old, a nursing assistant, was making a video call with a friend when one of the attackers threatened to kill him.
“Stop filming, or I’ll kill you, f*ggot”.
These words point to the hypothesis of a homophobic murder, and it was what mobilized the LGBTQ+ community around the world. Everyone is calling for justice. Investigations are still open and authorities have already arrested six people involved in the savage beating and have interrogated witnesses.
Meanwhile, in Spain, debates have begun to clarify whether it is a homophobic hate crime; what is certain is that Samuel became the image of victims of violence. People across the world are outraged by this type of barbaric act. Samuel’s story is not an isolated event, which is why many have come out to protest and demand justice, hoping that it will not happen again.
Samuel was a generous person with spiritual values taught at home. His father asked those attending the protest to donate food to the Red Cross in his son’s memory, an institution where Samuel was a volunteer, a role he divided between his work in a home for the elderly and his studies.
Compared to other countries, many people feel safe to lead the life they want in Spain. Many refuse to live in fear, because no one should do so. Jorge, a teacher, deplores the violent murder of Samuel; however, for him the reality has been different in Spain, “so far, I have not gone through anything like that, I feel safe”.
For his part, Anderson, who resides in the Community of Madrid, says he has been more alert in recent days. “In Spain, I have felt very safe in terms of my sexuality. Very respected in most places, but I do notice prying eyes when I walk down the street holding hands with my boyfriend.”
Unfortunately, the feeling of safety is not always there. Abusive acts have not disappeared, sometimes they are just insults and other times the threat increases. According to the Interior Ministry in Spain, there has been an escalation in cases of hate crimes linked to sexual orientation in recent times.
“Samuel’s death is a disgrace, no one should be assaulted for anything and much less for their sexual orientation, no one deserves to die with the insult of ‘f*ggot’. It’s weird, because that word has been said to me many times, the last time on Tuesday (July 6th) returning home with my boyfriend, from a car they shouted ‘f*ggot’ at us, but I don’t pay attention to it. After Samuel was killed, I’m more alert because we never know if a crazy person is going to cross in front of us,” says Anderson.
In June, Gay Pride Month was celebrated, and a few days later the community is in mourning. Greater acceptance makes us think that the world is advancing, but the steps being taken are still not sufficient.
Rafael was also one of those assaulted at the beginning of July in Spain. Due to the speed at which the events occurred, he still does not fully understand what happened to him. Rafael has no idea where the guy came from, he could only hear ‘fucking f*ggot’ and other insults before he fell to the ground with the first blow; with the second punch his nose was broken. The boy he had a date with was also attacked.
A group of people who came to help them called the police. ”I don’t know how he dared. I think he calculated it well; in the park there were police patrols circulating and there were people around”. Rafael filed a report with the police to prevent these attacks against the LGBTQ+ community from continuing.
“We went to the hospital at Ivan’s insistence. I thought it was just a blow, but when they did the X-ray, I had a broken nose.” Rafael and his friend, Ivan, were able to return home that day, it is sad to have to say that they were lucky, when this kind of news should not exist.
Samuel’s death has not only affected Spanish society; everywhere around the world there are people who have raised their voices to demand justice, respect and freedom to express love. Some artists such as Ricky Martin, Beyoncé, Alejandro Sanz, Lena Headey, Sam Smith, among many others, have joined the campaign on social media with the hashtag #JusticiaParaSamuel.
Over time, together, we can create change for a world where fear, hatred and ignorance do not prevail. Freedom to express our love should be our watchword, because hate only generates death and pain.
Anderson reminds us that “we live in a world where we are all siblings. We should make life much easier for each other regardless of gender, sex, race or age.”
Image credits: Elena Rabkina and Jason Leung