At the organization’s headquarters house1 the hustle and bustle of the afternoon begins to become noticeable. Loud music on the first floor announces that the senior dance class is about to begin, while a band upstairs trans women Prepare for makeup and aesthetics course. These are some of the activities and workshops of the organization located in the Bixiga neighborhood. from Sao Paulooffers since its inception in 2017, when it began to welcome its victims discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Centers like this have become a counterweight to the president’s homophobic rhetoric. Jair Bolsonaro Since he came to power in 2018. A speech he “repeated” during this year’s campaign based on the defense of traditional family and Christian values and against what he described.gender ideologyMore than 156 million voters will weigh in at the polls this Sunday whether they once again confirm the presumptions of the president, whose first-round rival, former president Lula da, won 36% of the vote, compared to 50%. silva
neighborhood job
In Casa 1, the chief of communications and culture sits next to a large mural of a woman that reads in Portuguese: “trans, indigenous and black lives matter.” Thai Eloyexplains that the organization has not stopped growing since the victory of the far-right candidate. “Public relations have changed a lot in recent years. Many people who were not directly involved in the project felt the need to support us more and we started to establish a different relationship with the locals. non-LGBT+“Since Bolsonaro took the presidency, Eloy admits that he has become more involved in the organization,” says Eloy.
The approach of the neighbors is also noticeable in the library, where the association is two blocks away, where you can refer to books on LGTB + themes and other publications on social minorities. Area by volunteer Elisa MafraAlthough some may not be familiar with the work of Casa 1, it is quite successful among children and adolescents. gender diversity. One of them noticed the LGTB+ tag the other day and asked if he could read this type of book because he associated it with it. adult contentThe library offers school material to the youngest, something that has allowed some parents to change their mindset and place more value on the work of the organization.
fight against discrimination
Currently hosts the center 10 people, as well as offering free psychological care, clinical services and professional training courses to help people in need, many of whom are trans, find employment. social worker Magdalena Rising ensures that the shelter is for people. 18 to 25 years oldthose who have passed a preliminary interview with a psychologist and are guaranteed accommodation for four months. “We have people who have been exposed to situations of violence with family members or romantic partners. All cases are different and depend on each situation: one person is not the same. white gay more than one person trans and racialized“.
Those in charge of the organization, during the years of Bolsonaro’s government, hundreds of threats and insults Although they acknowledge that discrimination against the LGTB+ collective comes from afar, through social networks. According to Transgender Europe (TGEU), more than 30% of trans murders in 2021 were committed in Brazil. A country-led list 13 years and despite difficulties in representing a precise sample – some countries do not provide this information – it is evidence of the ongoing discrimination against this group. What was hostile in the speeches of Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro, the policies to confront this will be determined from this Sunday.