Family violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals operates as a 'microphysics of necropower,' functioning as a predisposing factor for suicidal behavior, including through a newly proposed phenomenon termed 'certification rape.'
Family violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals functions as a dimension of social inequality in mental health and a predisposing factor for suicidal behavior.
The authors propose the concept of 'certification rape' to describe a specific form of sexual violence connected to family pressure and LGBTQIA+ identity.
The family institution is identified as a mechanism contributing to the deaths of LGBTQIA+ individuals, operating as a 'microphysics of necropower.'
The study used therapeutic groups as both an intervention and a research methodology to explore suffering among LGBTQIA+ individuals.
This Brazilian study examined how family environments contribute to mental health crises, sexual violence, and suicidal behavior among LGBTQIA+ young people. Researchers ran therapeutic groups with LGBTQIA+ individuals from 2020 to 2023 and analyzed three clinical cases in depth. These cases revealed a pattern where family members' repeated pressure or suggestions led individuals to engage in unwanted sexual encounters as a way of 'proving' or 'certifying' their sexual orientation to themselves or others — a phenomenon the authors name 'certification rape.' The research suggests that families are not simply neutral or occasionally harmful environments, but can function as active structures that contribute to the deaths of LGBTQIA+ people, whether through suicide, sexual violence, or other harms. The authors use the theoretical framework of 'necropolitics' — a concept referring to social systems that determine who is allowed to live and who is exposed to death — to argue that everyday family interactions can operate as a form of low-level, normalized lethal power over LGBTQIA+ lives. This research suggests that addressing mental health and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ individuals requires recognizing family violence as a structural social inequality, not just a private or individual problem. It also highlights the need to identify and name new forms of sexual violence, such as 'certification rape,' that may be invisible within existing frameworks. Understanding these dynamics may be important for mental health professionals and social support services working with LGBTQIA+ youth.
Carvalho M, Uziel A. (2026). [Suicide, rape and family: trajectories of necropolitics in the lives of LGBTQIA+ youths].. Ciencia & saude coletiva. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-812320253012.08392024