In a recent unsettling event, Valencia, Venezuela’s third-largest city, witnessed the questionable detention of 33 men from the Avalon Club, a renowned gathering place for the LGBTQ+ community. Following the mass arrests on July 23rd, the nation’s capital, Caracas, became the site of fiery protests. Thousands raised their voices, demanding the immediate release of the detained individuals. A petition initiated by the Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence has already garnered close to 10,000 signatures. The campaign advocates for a fair trial for the detainees, who are ostensibly facing charges such as outrage against modesty, conspiracy to commit a crime, and noise pollution. The issue has ignited discussions on the social media platform X, once called Twitter, with individuals expressing their anger using the hashtag #JusticiaParaLos33, translating to #JusticeForThe33. As reported by Al Jazeera, a majority of the detained, 30 men, were granted conditional parole post 72 hours of confinement, implying a requirement to report to the local authorities monthly. The remaining three, including the Avalon Club’s proprietor, were released on August 3rd, ten days after their detention. Disturbingly, some of the detained men’s photographs, many of whom hadn’t disclosed their sexuality publicly, were illicitly leaked to the local press. These images were maliciously used to associate them with false narratives. The Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence did not hold back in their condemnation, labeling the detentions as “state-sponsored homophobia”. #Queer Up The World View