Brasil
Drag Show
Gender Fluidity
Homophobia
Ideology
LAGCC
Performance
Political
Queer
Rio De Janeiro
Social
Queer Identity in Brazil by Carolina Varela
12:57:00 PM
(There's still minor editing to this blog. )
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| My classmates and I, taking a picture with the performers of Nao Recomendados |
When I arrived at Rio, I didn’t really see much of community, and I guess I’m not really sure what I expected to see. It wasn't until our discussion with our developmental Psychology professor Eduardo Vianna, that I understood that things were progressing slowly in Brazil, and that it was trying to become a more open and safe environment for people within that community. However, in order to understand what these changes signify, it’s important to look at the factors that influence these changes.
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| At the Sao Paulo 2015 Gay pride parade (image taken from SBS) |
Sao Paulo’s gay pride parade is the largest and this gives insight to the social and political climate of gay identity in Brazil. With 17% of its population self identifying in the LGBTQ community, the country needs to reflect a political structure that addresses and serves this population. Brazil has already made significant strides in anti-discriminatory laws. Therefore, it made sense that with these imposed changes, change also would be perceived in the social and cultural environment of Brazil. Economic, political, and social structures have always affected issues of LGBTQ because these identities aren’t mutually exclusive. The political has always been a component of LGBTQ identity. Yet, despite these advancements in anti-discriminatory policy, it seems that Brazilian LGBTQ community is still being persecuted.
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| (image taken from glaad) |
As of recently it has been acknowledged that Brazil is experiencing an increase of anti-gay violence. And a lot of this violence is targeted toward its transgender community. In the last four years an estimated 16,000 people have died in relation to hate-motivated and homophobic agendas. This violence is deemed to get worse with Brazil’s economic recession. Already Brazil’s crime rate has increased to 24% in the last year and it’s homicide rate has increased to 15%
"one person is killed almost every day in a homophobic or transphobic attack"
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| The performers of Nao Recomendados |
Nao Recomendados isn’t really your typical drag show, yet, when is a drag show typical. It’s more like an interactive musical that is reflective of queer identity and socio-political notions. I think a large part of the reason as to why I love drag is because I’m still not completely comfortable with my own queer sexuality. To a certain extent, this is a result of my sexuality having developed in shadows. And like most individuals, institutional homophobia has influenced that development. It seems that in Brazil the same narrative is shared the LGBTQ community. Globalization has helped create an international queer identity that many times emerges from these institutional and cultural ideals.
"...homosexual and transgender Brazilians suffer from institutional homophobia that pushes them to the margins of society, where violence is endemic."
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| At the Dyke March NYC 2011 |
I love the culture behind drag because people who perform drag intentionally and unintentionally create a safe space for others, in very loud and vibrant way. One of my favorite chants from the N.Y.C “Dyke March” is; “We’re here, We’re Queer, We’re fabulous, Don’t fuck with us!”. Yet, outside of these celebratory environments a lot of times I internalize the ignorance of a society and I question my identity in relation to the space around me.
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| Nao Recomendados performing at Theatro NET |
This is why I love drag culture. I love how fearless performers seem on stage and at the same time they remain completely vulnerable. From the drag shows that I’ve seen in New York, there's always an element of the political, as they break norms and push our preconceived notion of gender further each time. But with the show at Nao Recomendados they also challenge us to think differently about ourselves and our society. Granted, I don’t know portuguese, but with my spanish speaking skills I was able to get the essence of their show. They wanted to people to stand up and acknowledge that they construct themselves in relation to their environment. And since that environment has been toxic, has been an anti-gay establishment, then we must work hard to break our patterns of behavior. Overall they called upon a unity between the LGBTQ community and it’s allies. Hence part of their songs talked about fostering healthy relationships parents and family. While other songs provoked people to think politically and act politically.
The LGBTQ movement is consistently finding new ways to communicate. Their goal in advocacy is to not only spread awareness of the issue, but to also change the current socio-political conversation and give light to the voices that matter the most in these issues.
Like my professor mentioned, changes for the positive are happening slowly. Part of the struggle with passing bills that punish acts of discrimination based on gender, sex, and orientation are with the officials that are elected and then vote to pass these bills. Similar to the U.S many officials have expressed anti-gay agenda and yet are still left in office making decisions that affect a diverse population. This is where issues of LGBTQ become a minority struggle. The people who benefit from policies made by these officials will evidently be individuals who identify as straight, and essentially it’s cis white men that benefit the most.
References:
Littauer, Dan. "Brazil, Where 44% of World’s Anti-LGBT Violence Occurs, Kills Discrimination Bill." LGBTQNATION. N.p., n.d. Web.
"LGBT Rights in Brazil." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Nichols, JamesMichael. "HuffPost Live Discusses Being Gay Or Trans In Brazil." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Bevins, Vincent. "Homophobic Attacks Increase in Seemingly Gay-friendly Brazil." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Avery, Dan. "Why Brazil Could Soon Be The Worst Place On Earth For LGBT People." NewNowNext. N.p., 26 Apr. 2016. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Jacobs, Andrew. "Brazil Is Confronting an Epidemic of Anti-Gay Violence." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 July 2016. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
"In The Midst of Protests, Will Brazil Finally Outlaw LGBT Discrimination? | Autostraddle." Autostraddle. N.p., 12 July 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
"Fighting Back in Brazil." Gay News, LGBT Rights, Politics, Entertainment. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
"How to Fight Transphobic Violence in Brazil." Gay News, LGBT Rights, Politics, Entertainment. N.p., 04 Apr. 2016. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Gross, Daniel. "The Fight to Protect LGBT Brazilians From Violence." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
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