The Gay Parade.

Watching the gay parade last weekend for a least an hour in Sao Paulo, made me realize what hipocracy really is and isn't. Don't get this wrong, I strongly believe in sexual equality for all and the freedom of expression of that sexuality without prejudice. (remember we are all children of god, therefore i am no one to jugde right or wrong in these issues)


LGBT Pride association started in 1999, officially as an institution, the parade stared around the same time. There was a parade also called, the "March for Jesus" considering that it is Corpus Christi holiday in Brasil. A long time ago there was a debate on who should be the "official" parade leader/ owner for the day of AVE. Paulista (the biggest main avenue.) The Queers won, it brought in more money.

So getting back to hipocracy, people did warn me about the touching, the drinking, the madness and so forth. But me being the person I am, I decided to go on my own.
UM.....................
Bad idea, this definitely goes on one the tops of my lists.

Within say less than 20 min into wandering to the parade, I 'won' 6 kisses on both of my cheeks, 2 butt grabs and a nipple pinch. Talk about invasion of privacy, these were not by women mind you readers, these were by men, straight men there to get some ASS!

What more can I really say. Pride stared as a big political protest for equality in society, but it has really turned into a big gross orgy of people willing to do anything and everything. Needless to say, it was a gross flash back to carnival, Christ save us!

Gay Pride also attracts a different type of danger not seen in the US, Skinheads.
Skinheads, are like a modern version of neo-nazi mixed with the klu klux klan, very active and violent in Brasil.
A queer person was killed during the after festivities, after being beat up for several hours.

As my good friend Kalla posted on a friend's website said

"No, skinheads beating up anyone at any time is completely wrong and undeserved. However, that event does not promote openess, acceptance, gay rights, or equal treatment, and definitely gives plenty of fuel to homophobic arguments. And it's upsetting that the biggest gay event in the world has that level of triviality and that it's literally ... Read Moreprohibited to bring politics in. At least for me, one of the most powerful parts of our activism is the way we infuse politics into every public act or performance, and the way that we can have a party and keep a funny but biting line of political commentary going throughout. Yesterday was anything but."

So where does society really draw the line?
In a country that has the biggest pride parade in the world, that doesn't allow the political movement, who gave birth to the parade in the first place, participate in the "struggle towards equality", where does that leave reason?

Hipocracy?

Affects and Effects/ Metro Stories

Effect: "consequence: a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon" -wiki-

Affect: "feeling or emotion;to act on; produce an effect or change in" -dictionary.com-

For the longest time I didn't know the exact difference between the two words. Its one of those English word things that didn't quite get in Mrs. Binder's English class my first two years in high school. Then figured that I would learn the difference eventually in my life, and now that time has come.

The act of me deciding to come to Brasil for a year has had a deep effect on my way of thinking and how I see my "privileged" way of life at home, GWS/Boulder Colorado. It has affected me in the sense that almost every time I ride the metrô I see something beautiful and irritating.

Example 1: An older man commenting/complimenting on a friend's height. Then proceeding making a correlation between tall and intelligence, and therefore referring to shorter people as less intelligent people. WHAT?

Example 2: A middle aged black man sitting next to me on the metrô and holding Obama's book. Correction not "holding" but "caressing," before actually beginning to read his book again. (I only know this because he gently reopened the book to the bookmarked page). Yet before actually opening it he ever so kindly gazed at the cover with a sort of admiration for the man , with of course Obama's face on it. I could of sworn I almost saw a tear, maybe I am crazy but this was real to me.

So these examples are kind of annoyingly cheesy, yet true stories. With the Obama admirer I felt a kind rage and saw a beauty. This is weird to explain but I just got to thinking how much of an affect can people who live thousands of miles away can have an impact on one random person on the Red Line on the Metrô in São Paulo, Brasil. Come on now, I see a little anger in this because of the fact that there is sooooo much influence that comes out of the USA but not very many people realize it until they go abroad, and I see that as a sad thing as well because a lot of people do see this for granted. Beauty comes into play when I see how deeply this affected a person's life and how this could be a potentially positive impact on a life outside of the ordinary US citizen.

The negative effect reflected off of the older height complimenter got me thinking of random elitist that exist in a place were most of the population is: MALE- 169.0 cm (5' 6.5"); FEMALE: 158.0 cm (5' 2.2"). Is this supposed to be considered sexist as well? Either way it isn't something to be taken personal by any means (I'm 5'3.5").

The more and more I observe people here, yes I do enjoy my fair share of people watching, the more I see the little similarities and differences between culture; so I guess I am getting my money's worth. YES!

RIO..RIO..OH Rio.. SAUDADES?

So I went to Rio again, not like it was huge imposition; the beaches the sun the views. ;) This second time was my official tourist visit:
Pão de Açúcar, Chisto Redentor/Crocovalo, Jorge Ben Jor concert, FLA vs FLU and of course the beautiful beaches!




Our hotel was a block away from Ipanema, Hotel Ipanema Inn. (one of the best beaches there) Everything was beautifully planed out. Thank you Council! (shout out) All in all the trip was awesome and culturally enriching, among other things.



I finally build up the courage to wear a Brazilian bikini. Thank goodness I didn't get burnt where the sun usually doesn't shine. (lol) On to serious matters, being a tourist definitely has its perks, but it can get old and irritating after a while. Let me explain.



EXAMPLE #1- DIGITANDO A BALADA/ ENTERING A BALADA(CLUB)
SETTING: 11ish at night. Lapa- Rio de Jainero. 3 New York City blocks of people waiting to get in.

So this popin club, all the rage apparently. When we first got there we were like wow people really like this place. So we kept walking and then we realized the club was full and we were still walking to the end of the line. WTF?
Some people had been waiting, in heels non the less, for about an hour plus. WHAT? So is it worth it?



Our crafty Brazilian friend worked his magic. He ingeniously walked to the VIP line to talk with the security guards and spoke something along the lines of: "Hey I have a group of Americans, how can we get them in faster?" Seconds later he returned saying, "Speak English. Follow me." This sly dog I thought to myself. Wow, he got all the gringos in in less than 15 mins. The power of a tourist should never be underestimated in a "third world" country, please this is BRASIL! They love tourists.

The club was great, decorations were to par and there was a choice in music live Samba or Bossanova dance. Very Brazilian. Very fun.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE #2- “FLA vs. FLU: JOGO DE FUTEBOL/ CLASSIC RIO SOCCER GAME"
SETTING: 1000S of people. Big flags. CHEERS CHEERS and more CHEERS. Palavrões.

The love for futebol transcends all types of good and bad boundaries, in Rio its called "Fla/Flu". This is a futeball (soccer) game between rivals FLAmengo and FLUminese Rio's most popular teams. The stereotype associated with Fla fans are people who live in the slums/favelas. Flu stereotypes are seen as the pompous rich kids. It is played in Maracanã Stadium, located near downtown Rio, in the city's Maracanã district.

These games are developing into a touristy spot. Experiencing the energy put out by these people who bleed for these teams is hard to put into words. It really is amazing sitting there in the middle of the cheers and sorrows of the game.



Before getting off our tourist bus a couple of blocks away from the stadium we were once again reminded to hide our tickets and not show them in public.
2. Did you remember to wear neutral colors?
3. Try not to speak any English while we walk there.
It felt like a warning ad before entering the city of Compton,CA. (lol)

The night before I had been told to do about the opposite. So there is something wrong with that right? The whole point of being here is to be part of the culture. Of course no one is forcing me to keep my ticket hidden or to wear neutral colors, but I still listen to them for safety issues. So why did this feel so uncomfortable? Perhaps I had just aided the stereotype my passport had to offer. Is it if fair to say I felt a little dirty, like cheering for both teams? (pun intended)

This is where it turns simple and real, I am a tourist in foreign country. I really don't know how to live here yet, but I'm learning slowly. I've always been an advocate of using what you've got to get you what you need (receptively and within your moral standards, of course silly). Perhaps I'm not "integrated" enough to fully understand the differences between irony and the clashing of cultures. I don't want to say that Brazilians are this way, but what I have witnessed is just the human side of the "jeito Brasileiro."

Confusion on different levels.. Feminity in Brazil.

I guess I was has really hit with a cultural shock when school started, a thought surfaced: image is everything, which ties into the elitist culture. Brazilian culture really revolves around the idea of how a person looks is who that person is, which by itself is complete true and legitimate statement for all cultures in the whole world.



Yet the interesting part is when people judge you negatively. For example, I have developed a very different style since those wonderful years at Campion Academy. I am a firm believer of self expression especially through clothing.


Any who I was attending school activities because that is what a good PUC student should do. Some of the things I attended include: the LGBT club/ comity Sapatone de Bush, the socialist debate, local maracatu and just all around socializing with the students in my broken Portuguese. It was definitely a great time to meet and see different types of people and realize my one of my main goals, make Brazilian friends and be “immersed” in the culture.


The goal was somewhat successfully met. Then I realized that most of the people which whom I had made friends with are gay. Then I was later questioned on my sexuality and informed I dressed as though I was gay by Brazilian standards of femininity. I heart gay people on all levels! Never a bad thing to have gay friends (I find that everyone needs a gay friend; to put things in a different perspective; different debate), yet it was slightly uncomfortable for me because I felt like I was being judged as though I was gay, which I am not. Just from the way I was dressed I had been judged and found guilty of being a sexuality I am not. There is an awkward feeling that arises when someone or ones think that you’re something you are not, as though I am a fake (something I strive not to be).


After sleeping on this thought, and figuring out how and why people judge each other I also thought of the differences between cultures. What entails for say an immigrant arriving in the US for the first time? Or for a Muslim arriving in the US or while you’re at it Brazil! Culture shocks are a scary thing for many people and I never really took account of it until now. Thank you Brazil. My father was right when he spoke the words of wisdom, “Ahora vas a ver y sentir como es ser un imigrante de verdad.” (Now you’re really going to know how it feels to be an immigrant) I don’t think he was necessarily talking about this specifically, yet it applies.


So, after being judged on my appearance and realizing that looking like your gay in Brazil means looking “hipster” in the US, I realized that I have a choice to make.


Should I be true to what I believe and express myself through the art of (what I think is) fashion?

Or

Should I give in to the cultural norm, and betray myself and not be judged as being a sexuality that I am not?

(rhetorical questions)
As I was told by an older wise lesbian woman: “and welcome to one of the main culture complaints Americans have of Brazil…”

Race. An issue in Brazil? (Nao, eu nao uma rasista.)

Brazil has a long list of problems which are discussed on a regular basis (Brazilians are very out spoken) such as: poverty, economy, changes in government, hatred towards the Bush administration and so forth. In my opinion the real issues are found in the problems that no one talks about, such as race.
Don’t get me wrong Brazilians are not racist as defined by historic American culture; it’s a different type of racism that this country faces. Equality is not found easily in this country due to its history with a dictatorship and its “machista” cultural decent. Brazil’s whole population has about 50-60% black and most of that population is below the poverty line. Why?





According to the first lecture given to me about race (second day)by a Wilson Honario da Silva a well known socialist professor at USP, taught me that being liberated from slave-hood didn’t necessarily mean that you had it made. (Brazil was forced to abolish slavery because of capitalism) Nothing was promised to these people and automatically they were without jobs, hence birth of favelas (shanty towns). It’s amazing, when driving from the airport to the hotel, the horrible conditions people live in. Some in boxes right off the side of the street.
Racism is shrugged off as, no it’s because they are poor attitude. Yet when one sees a black man walking down the street in the ‘Beverly Hills” of Sao Paulo he is looked at suspiciously; that is the racism that is seen here. If you ask the regular Paulista if racism exist he or she will look at you like your crazy! It is almost impossible to find a “black” man or woman/ family in the upper middle class of Sao Paulo. For every 100R$ that a white man makes a black woman makes 37.5R$, a significant amount.





This also ties in the question of identity. Who do you consider black? Prieto (mulato)? Or white? When someone calls themselves black it is not looked upon kindly. Why? Being black is associated with being bad, dishonest, dirty ect. And being white is considered the opposite. I’ll be the first one to say it; it is very sad and wrong.
You ask: what happened to civil rights movements? Consider the history, it is no secret that what the US does the world to certain extent follows. During 60’s and 70’s US had major civil rights movements, during this time Brazil was controlled by a dictatorship. They which recognized any organized protest a threat to national security. This entailed the treat of life, and of course the basic need for life is far more important the rights lost.
Sadly this is some of the problems not likely talked about by the majority of the people, other than the crazy socialist and communist of course.