The 27th edition of the LGBT+ Parade gathered a crowd, this Sunday (11), in São Paulo, Brazil. This year, in addition to celebrating diversity, the movement demanded social rights and public policies, focusing on the visibility of this population in relation to social assistance. The Parade's motto was "We want LGBT+ social policies in full and not in half".
The act featured boos to former president Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party), the presence of Zé Gotinha (a symbol of vaccination campaigns in Brazil) on one of the mobile stages and the participation of the Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida.
In a manifesto, the parade demanded an improvement of the Unified Social Assistance System and the inclusion of LGBT+ families in the main social programs of the federal government.
"Most of its plans, programs, projects, services and benefits are covertly targeted at cisgender and heterosexual families and individuals. These distortions become evident when we try to be part of these programs, which have requirements that are almost always unattainable by LGBT+ genealogies. There is no specific look at this community, which survives in a country that violates their lives", says the manifesto.
Symmy Larrat, national secretary for the Promotion and Defense of the LGBTQIA+ People Rights, argued that the federal government should be more sensitive to the movement's demands.
"The Parade is the moment when we take the streets to fight against a narrative that kills us, that says we have to be ashamed of being who we are. Therefore, the narrative of pride is important, we have to be proud of being who we are”, she said, in an interview with Agência Brasil.
The Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida, participated in the opening and left a message about the importance of the State in promoting the rights of the LGBT+ population.
"All the people who are here must be very proud to be alive, despite a world that violates them. After all these years we've lived, we're making a big change. What is demanded here is not a favor, it is the Brazilian State's duty, and I am here as a representative of the government. It is the State's duty to care for health and ensure education and that all people have access to employment and income in a dignified manner," he said.
The festive atmosphere prevailed throughout the event. The Parade concentrated on Avenida Paulista, at 10:00 am, and continued towards Roosevelt Square, in the center of the city. In all, there were 19 mobile stages. Names like Pablo Vittar and Daniella Mercury livened up the party. The organization's expectation was to gather 4 million people throughout the day.
Edited by: José Eduardo Bernardes