The LGBTI+ movement launches a record number of candidacies and seeks to expand its political participation.

Vitor Nuzzi, Current Brazil Network - The political climate has not intimidated the LGBTI+ movement, which is expected to have a record number of candidates in this year's municipal elections. With a diverse party spectrum, but largely progressive in profile. A preliminary survey by the National LGBTI+ Alliance indicates 497 pre-candidacies, 485 for city council and 12 for mayor.check the chartIn 2012, for example, that number was less than 200.

The CEO of the Alliance, Professor Toni Reis, highlights the participation of various political parties. He notes that approximately 80% of these names are concentrated in the center-left field. "This (record number of pre-candidates"This shows the strength of the community," he assesses. The list shows LGBTI+ names in 26 of the 33 parties registered for the elections. Five of them concentrate two-thirds of this year's pre-candidates.

I vote with pride.

More than that, participating in the electoral process means distancing oneself from a certain stigma associated with the movement, such as associations with diseases like AIDS or violence. "It's very important to move from the health or police pages to the politics page," says the professor. He points out that the Alliance, in addition to the survey, organizes courses and is launching the "vote with pride" campaign.

Right now, the effort is focused on effectively increasing representation. "It's not enough to run for office; you have to get elected and bring color to the City Councils throughout Brazil. I believe we'll also have a record number of elected candidates." Another important issue, Toni points out, is avoiding polarization around issues related only to the community. "When you get elected, it's to defend the population," he affirms.

Part of the nation

This is also the view of lawyer Amanda Anderson, who presides over PDT Diversity and is a member of the party's executive committee. “Every time we are called upon for something, it's about human rights, LGBT rights. But we can't forget that we are part of the Brazilian nation,” observes Amanda, who is a trans woman and was a student leader: “The only transvestite vice-president in the history of the UNE (National Union of Students).” Thus, in parliament it is necessary to discuss all kinds of issues, especially basic ones, such as education, health, public transportation, and sanitation. “It's a humanitarian agenda and one of full citizenship,” she affirms.

The collective's manifesto emphasizes the importance of LGBTI+ participation in elections. The document states that "these hundreds of pre-candidacies show that we want to become protagonists of our own history, no longer just supporting actors in elections that use our agenda for electoral purposes, turning us into objects to garner votes and not giving us the real opportunity to win seats in legislative chambers, forgetting that our population, like most of the Brazilian people, seeks access to the most basic conditions of dignity: health, education, sanitation, housing, and decent work."

Violence and criminalization

This does not exclude concern about the attacks, which remain frequent. According to Amanda, murders of transvestites and transsexuals have increased by 30% this year. She recalls the 2019 Supreme Federal Court ruling that criminalized homophobia and transphobia. "The criminalization, in reality, hasn't served much purpose because they feel legitimized to act against the LGBTI population because they have a head of state who does so."

But the sheer number of candidates, more than resilience, demonstrates resistance. "We have been resistance since the time of Tibira," says Amanda, referring to the indigenous man killed in the 17th century and considered the first victim of homophobia in Brazil.

"I believe it will get even better. That (applications"This only strengthens our movement. We need to have a voice, public policies," says parliamentary advisor Kênia Ribeiro. A lesbian, she will be running for office for the fifth time, the third time for city councilor, in Belo Horizonte, representing the PSOL party.

Born in Varginha, she worked for 33 years on the street as a street vendor. And she recalls that the LGBTI community is still underrepresented in politics. "It's important to have all the acronyms, in all spheres."

Fan and activist

In São Paulo, journalist William De Lucca, who is gay, will be running for office for the first time, seeking a seat in the city council for the Workers' Party (PT). "We have to fight for these spaces from within," he says. "I am fully aware that we are in a time of attacks, with our rights at risk. It's a period of setbacks on many levels," states William, who has received dozens of death threats.

This process began in 2018 after he posted on social media criticizing the behavior of fans of his own team, Palmeiras, who during a match against São Paulo chanted homophobic slurs to provoke their rivals. William helped organize the Palmeiras Livre collective, made up of progressive fans. And he is a member of Canarinhos Arco-Íris, a group formed by LGBT fans.

"It's important to remember that a large part of the problem of homophobic violence lies in the lack of education. People receive an education that leads them to believe that homophobia is acceptable," he comments.