Luiz Mott, the former heterosexual

He identifies as a former heterosexual: he was married to a woman for five years and has two daughters. He also believes that there are, indeed, former gays. Controversial, anthropologist Luiz Mott has been fighting for human rights for 31 years. His journey began with the founding of the Gay Group of Bahia – the first in Brazil to adopt the homosexual cause. One of the founders of the Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians and Transsexuals (ABGLT), he also created the Bahian Anti-AIDS Center, the Lesbian Group, and the Association of Transvestites of Salvador. In this interview, Mott talks about the struggles and achievements of the gay movement in Brazil, pedophilia, adoption of children by homosexual couples, violence, and reveals the uniquely rosy side of Bahia.

247 – Until a few years ago, homosexuality was considered an illness in Brazil, but that concept has changed. Do you believe that the perception of people from Bahia regarding this has also changed?

Luiz Mott - Homosexuality has existed since prehistory. And Goethe, the German writer, said that homosexuality is as old as humanity itself. In recent years, especially since 1969, when homosexuals in New York revolted, clashed with the police, and managed to gain respect, gay pride began to be celebrated. This revolt served as inspiration for the whole world, and homosexual movements began to emerge in various countries. In Brazil, this movement began in 1979, and I founded the Gay Group of Bahia in 1980. I can say that, in the last three decades, homosexuals have become more respected, at least in the good intentions of the government, proposing sanctions against homophobia and including homosexuals in the National Human Rights Plan, but, unfortunately, much is still only on paper; there are good intentions, but few actions.

247 – We are increasingly seeing cases of violence against homosexuals. Is homophobia still strong in Brazil?

Luiz Mott One of the major problems facing the Brazilian homosexual movement, besides the lack of inclusion of homosexuality, human rights, and sexual minorities in school and university curricula to combat ignorance about them, is the violence perpetrated against the homosexual population, scientifically known as homophobia – hatred, fear, and intolerance towards homosexuality. Homophobia manifests itself within the home, while other minorities, such as Black people and people with disabilities, learn from their families how to confront prejudice. Homosexuals face the opposite; parents beat, humiliate, and expel their children when they realize they are lesbian, transvestite, or gay. Therefore, discrimination ranges from insults, physical aggression, and humiliation in public places like the army and schools, all the way to murder.

247 – What are the statistics on violence against LGBT people here in Bahia?

Luiz Mott Brazil holds the shameful position of world champion in murders of homosexuals. Every two days a gay man, a transvestite, and, in smaller numbers, a lesbian is brutally murdered, a victim of homophobia. Bahia fluctuates between second and third place in the ranking of deaths in the country; in 2007 it was the most violent state, with 24 murders. These are hate crimes, committed with extreme cruelty, involving many beatings, shootings, torture, and even mutilation of the victim. It is a true homicide.

247 – What are the biggest challenges facing the gay movement in Bahia?

Luiz Mott The Brazilian homosexual movement, currently called LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (which includes transvestites and transsexuals) – prioritizes the creation of laws that punish homophobia, equating prejudice against homosexuals to racism. We don't want privileges, we want equal rights, neither less nor more. These bills are in the Senate and have already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies, but they face resistance from deputies, religious and fundamentalist groups, both evangelical and Catholic. They accuse the bills of limiting the freedom to speak ill of homosexuals freely from the pulpit, since they can no longer speak ill of Candomblé or other religions, but continue to slander and preach hatred against homosexuals. Another priority, not only for the country but also for Bahia, is that transvestites and transsexuals be called by their female names, as it is shameful for them, who live, dress, and behave as women, to be called by their legal name when arriving in public spaces. Hence the importance of the civil registry authorizing the change for those who socially live as female.

247 - Has the anti-homophobia law been respected in Bahia?

Luiz Mott – So far, there haven't been any cases of gays, lesbians, or transvestites using this law to report cases of abuse to any police station or the Public Security Secretariat, appealing for the perpetrators to be punished. But this doesn't mean there isn't homophobic discrimination here in Bahia; on the contrary, the GGB (Grupo Gay da Bahia) always receives complaints, but the victims fear retaliation when registering with the responsible authorities, because our police officers haven't yet realized that homosexuals should be treated like other citizens. The law was approved, but it hasn't yet been regulated, and this is, in fact, one of the demands of the movement here in Salvador.

247 – There's a perception that in Bahia "anything goes." Does this libertarian identity encourage people to leave other states to embrace their homosexuality here?

Luiz Mott – Although Bahia has an image of being a city of joy or a bountiful land, it also presents contradictions. Both here and in the rest of the country, there's this rosy side. We have the largest Gay Pride Parade in the world, in the city of São Paulo, with 3 million people, and here in Bahia, almost half a million people participate. I estimate that 90% of the participants in these festivities are sympathizers, that is, they are not gay, lesbian, or transvestite, but people who go to enjoy the music and the electric trios. The rosy side of Bahia is the public identification of its singers, especially female singers, as gay or lesbian. There are rumors, prolonged for decades, that Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa, Margareth Menezes, and Daniela Mercury are lesbians, although none of them publicly acknowledge it. Daniela Mercury, in particular, has shown great courage in defending condoms, and for that reason, she was barred from the Vatican.

247 – Which artists most support the movement?

Luiz Mott – There are also rumors circulating about Xuxa and her relationship with Ivete Sangalo, who has even shown her support for the cause by singing at one of the parades in São Paulo. The same is true for Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, who sympathize with our cause; they kissed in front of the Salvador City Hall in 1990, when Gil was a city councilman. There are other supporters like Gerônimo, who was the godfather of the last parade, Xandy, Carla Perez's husband, Luiz Caldas, and even Psirico. This rosy side, unfortunately, doesn't carry the same categorical affirmation as the Black cause, for example. Therefore, there is a contradiction between the positive side and the blood-red side of murders. In a state as welcoming as Bahia, there cannot be such violence against homosexuals. We hope that our denunciations and our work will end this mortality rate, this true homocaust, which makes Bahia one of the most violent states in the country.

247 – What is being done to raise awareness among the homosexual population about AIDS and STDs?

Luiz Mott – When AIDS emerged in Brazil in the early 80s, it was called the "gay plague." Although it affected male homosexual populations, in Haiti and Africa it first infected heterosexual communities and only then was it transmitted to homosexuals. GGB was the first NGO to prevent the disease in Bahia, distributing condoms and conducting HIV testing at our headquarters, demanding effective action from the government against the disease. Currently, in addition to producing pamphlets and even a book on AIDS prevention, we continue to distribute condoms not only to gay men but also to the general population on special days such as December 1st (World AIDS Day) and other important dates. We hold conferences on the subject in schools and various spaces in Salvador.

247 - Is there a difference between being homosexual and being gay?

Luiz Mott The word "homosexual" was coined in 1869 in Germany, where "homo" comes from the Greek "same" and "sexual" from the Latin "sex." It's a term that includes both gay men and lesbians. The word "transvestite" only emerged in 1910. The word "lesbian" arose in the 18th century in allusion to the island of Lesbos, in Greece, where the main lesbian of antiquity, Sappho, lived—a poet whose poems were destroyed by the Church in the Middle Ages. The word "homosexual" encompasses all those, including animals, who practice sex in the sense of male with male and female with female. The word "gay," popularized in Brazil from the 1970s onwards, means "cheerful" in English, but has roots in Portuguese itself and in Catalan, Provençal, and other Latin languages, which gave rise, in the Portuguese language, to "gaiato," "gaiatice," and "gaio," all meaning cheerful. So, originally, in the Middle Ages, gay boys were called "cheerful boys," and this term is still used today, in a symbolic way. In other words, "gay" is part of the homosexual concept, although we increasingly use the term to define someone who has openly acknowledged their homosexuality.

247 – What are your thoughts on a child being raised by a homosexual couple?

Luiz Mott - The adoption of children and adolescents by a homosexual couple is taboo because many believe that this condition will influence the sexual orientation of these young people. It is a misconception to imagine that there is a direct link. There is research in the fields of psychology and sociology in the United States on this, and observations made in Brazil show that the number of children of homosexuals raised by heterosexuals is the same as that raised by gays or lesbians. About 10% of children will be homosexual, regardless of whether the parents are heterosexual or not. I myself am the son of heterosexual parents and was not influenced by that. And I'll go further: if the children of homosexuals are homosexual, what would be the problem? There is no problem; on the contrary, we belong to a community of great personalities and stars who have made fundamental contributions to humanity. Fortunately, here in Bahia, we have the work of Judge Salomão Resedá, who defends that adoption should be done in the name of the homosexual couple, and not just in the name of one of the parties, as is usually done.