COLUMNIST : PAUL BURST O N THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL…
AUTHOR PAUL BURSTON IS STRUCK BY THE CULTURAL CONTRADICTIONS IN BRAZIL, HIS PARTNER’S HOMELAND…
By the time you read this, the Rio carnival will be over and work will have commenced on the thousands of costumes and floats required for next year’s event. My husband was born and raised in Rio, and danced in the carnival a few years ago, so I’ve had the privilege of seeing the event up close. Two things struck me. First, the sheer scale of the event. Second, the celebration of transwomen, many of whom are employed as
mascots. Brazil is a country of
contradictions. We recently returned from a trip to visit my in-laws. The day we arrived, the country overtook the UK as a leading world economy. Yet, everywhere you look in Rio, there is abject poverty, notably in the favelas, which are now referred to as ‘communities’. Sex shops are full of DVDs
featuring ‘chicks with dicks’, and phone boxes have ads for prostitutes with names like ‘Dani Travestie’. On the beaches and streets around Copacabana and Ipanema, heterosexual men flaunt their perfectly gym-toned bodies like so many gay men at circuit parties. But only in Rio have I seen groups of straight men gathered around the rainbow flags, relishing the attentions of gay men.
The gay beach at Ipanema is hugely popular, yet the local gay scene is remarkably small. The main club, Le Boy, is a suburban nightmare of naff Euro-disco and listless go-go dancers, clearly aimed at unwitting tourists. There are more gay bars filled with beautiful Brazilians in the
“My own civil partnership carries more weight in Rio than it does in London”
And though it pains me to
say it, we have even encountered homophobia within my partner’s family. When we got hitched in 2007, one of his relatives came out as a rabid homophobe. This came as a total shock. Prior to our civil partnership, he had travelled to London on business and was happy to take advantage of our hospitality. The day after our wedding party, he announced that he didn’t accept
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homosexuality is “disgusting”. This is an educated man who was raised by liberal parents. Still he persists in the ignorant belief that being gay is a choice, and that he can somehow “straighten out” his young son by putting the fear of God into him.
Despite this, we had a
wonderful trip. There has never been a better time to visit Brazil. There’s a confidence in the country now that wasn’t
heart of London than you’ll find in the centre of Rio.
Meanwhile, anti-gay
attacks are reported to be on the increase. In the state of Rio, there have been several high-profile murders of young gay men. An organisation has been set up to tackle the problem, fronted by proud mothers of gay children.
homosexuality and was repulsed at the sight of us showing affection to one another. To make matters worse, this man has a son whom he strongly suspects may be gay. Reason enough, you’d think, for him to examine his prejudice. But no. On Christmas Day we discovered that he has been busy teaching his son that
there the first time I visited, ten years ago. Largely, it’s to do with the booming economy. But there’s also the expectation surrounding the forthcoming World Cup and the Olympics. Mainly thanks to this the police have stepped up their efforts to reduce crime in Rio, with an increased presence on the streets and visible checkpoints in the ‘communities’ where drug crime is rife. So where does this leave the gay community? Gay people are certainly more visible now. Brazilian soap operas often have gay characters. In Rio, it’s not unusual to see gay men holding hands in the street. And many younger people are totally at ease with the idea of homosexuality. While we were visiting, my ten-year-old niece asked her 12-year-old sister: ‘Who is Paul?’ Her sister laughed and said: ‘He’s Paulo’s partner, of course!’ The ten- year-old was unfazed. ‘OK’, she said, and changed the subject. Legally too, there have been
huge advances. In May last year, the Supreme Court voted to afford same-sex civil unions the same rights and welfare benefits afforded to heterosexuals. A month later, a judge in São Paulo converted the first same-sex civil union into a same-sex marriage. Others have since followed suit. In the state of Alagoas, same-sex civil unions have been replaced with same-sex marriage, and marriages performed there are recognised throughout the entire country. Bearing in mind that the majority of Brazilians would describe themselves as Roman Catholics, this is an extraordinary development. In fact, my own civil partnership carries more weight in Rio than it does in London, which is one more reason to spend more time there. Now, if we can just sort out that annoying relative…
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