December 6, 2021

08:12

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Over the past three years, several artists have addressed and adopted in a more intense and open way the LGBTQIA+ agenda, either as allies of the rights of the community, or in defense of someone who suffered an embarrassment triggered by prejudice. In the wake of these events, several well-known names in the media have also decided to publicly assume relationships with people of the same sex or expose in more detail some points involving the themes of sexuality and gender. These initiatives are considered important, because they promote representation and diversity in a country where it is not always possible to be who you are in a safe and dignified way. Since, last year alone, 237 LGBT people were victims of violent deaths, according to the report of the Observatory of Violent Deaths in Brazil.

Ignoring judgments and criticism, artists from various segments, such as singer Anitta, actor Marco Pigossi, singer Daniela Mercury, actress Bruna Linzmeyer, actor and former model Carmo Dalla Vecchia were examples of celebrities who spoke openly about their sexuality. According to psychologist Adan Renê Silva, the attitude of these artists and people with visibility helps to promote the subject in various areas and can yield positive results.

“In fact, the issue of representation is very closely linked to visibility, and when a famous person or a person with a big name assumes to be LGBTQIA+, this somehow helps to naturalize the debate and to show that this is not something from another world and that they, regardless of being LGBT or not, have managed to gain a place of respect”, says the psychologist.

Besides increasing representation, Adan points out that positions like this encourage those who just need some inspiration and encouragement to talk about the subject. “Often, when these people talk about this issue openly, LGBTQIA+ people take advantage of this possibly positive visibility to bring up the subject in their proper social circles”, he considers.

Voice and welcome

Every time a visibility post is led by an LGBT person, the feeling of belonging and welcome stands out, acting as a tool to combat LGBTphobia, reinforcing the concept that LGBT people can be wherever they want.

Amazonian activist and artist Pedro Paulo, 30, who gives life to the drag queen Aurora Boreal believes that, far beyond the famous people engaged in the cause and openly LGBT, it is necessary to be cautious and respectful of oneself. Before following examples, stopping and questioning whether it is really time to come out is one of the steps to be followed.

“It is always nice to have positive examples of courage, welcoming, and confrontation, not only from people close to us, but also from people we know, and this has a power, we cannot deny. But we have to pay attention to the fact that each person has his or her own moment, reality, and phase of processing the whole situation. The line is tenuous, so we have to understand that what happened to another person will not necessarily happen the same to us. Sometimes it can be dangerous, frustrating, and even worse”, says the activist, who adds:

“I think it’s important for us to have this notion that the other’s time, both to “come out of the closet” and the reaction that the family will have are different processes. And I think it’s nice to see that, every year that passes, more people talk more consciously about the subject, strengthening us, promoting empathy and respect”, she concludes.

Take a look at some LGBTQIA+ artists:

Sérgio Mamberti – The 82-year-old artist died in September of this year. Actor, producer and director revealed to be bisexual through a memoir. Mamberti was married to Vivian Mehr, with whom he had three children. After his wife’s death, Sergio shared his life with another man for more than 30 years.

Camila Pitanga – In November 2019, global actress Camila Pitanga revealed that she was dating a woman, artisan Beatriz Coelho. At the time, in an interview with columnist Léo Dias, Camila talked about the beginning of her relationship with Beatriz. “The dating came about like any other, after a mutual interest and time for conversation and getting to know each other,” the actress said.

Anitta – The singer caused a stir by revealing she is bisexual. In an interview with the Spanish website Shangay, the artist claimed to like men and women for more than ten years and that her family respected her bisexuality. “Bisexuality has been a reality for me for a long time, more than ten years (…) And my brother, everyone is quiet about it, they act normal. I’ve been very lucky with my family. It’s not that my mother loves this fact, but she always loved me as I am, she respects me”, said the singer.

Carmo Dalla Vecchia – In July this year, the actor and former model Carmo Dalla Vecchia assumed to be a gay man.  Married for 16 years to author João Emanuel Carneiro, the actor said: “It’s a song that talks basically about sorority, about empathy, about family, and I personally now would like to pay a big tribute to my family and declare my love to my son Pedro and my husband João”, said the actor.