Check out a reflection on the work of Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB; Gay Group of Bahia) by Alexandra Gwillim '18!
Cristiano Santos of the GGB (Longaker)
On May 3rd, we visited the Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB).We met with the GGB’s Vice President, Cristiano Santos, who has been a dedicated member of the organization for 24 years. Cris generously shared his time with our class and allowed us to sift through the organization’s archives, which included newspaper clippings, personal items, academic publications, and all sorts of material related to LGBT rights. I was struck by how generous Cris was, not only with his time, but with the resources and gifts he offered us (DVDs, pamphlets, publications, etc).
GGB Bulletin that reports on violence against LGBTs.
GGB publication detailing the methodology used to collect data on violence against LGBTs.
Founded in 1980 in Salvador da Bahia, the GGB was the first of its kind in Brazil to receive recognition as a civil society organization by the state. The GGB dedicates itself to defending the human rights for homosexuals in Brazil. Since 1981, the organization has collected data on LGBT violence in order to provide a record for those who are lost to the violence.
In their early years, they focused heavily on organizing for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs. Cristiano Santos explained that this was in part due to the fact that in order for the organization to obtain financial resources, they had to focus on issues where there was money to be found. The GGB was able to receive funding more easily through international programs than from the Brazilian government, unless directly from the Ministry of Health. This is because the Brazilian government did not initially fund LGBT rights organizations on their own. Instead, activists had to organize and negotiate their focus strategically on HIV/AIDS in order to be able to survive.
The hostility of the government towards the LGBT community extends well beyond the issue of funding. Despite the fact that Brazil is the most dangerous country in the world for LGBT individuals, the government consistently resists acknowledging the danger they face, and the importance of recognizing that danger. Although specific protections for individual rights are built into the constitution, and gender based violence is prohibited by law, LGBT individuals suffer greater violence in Brazil than in countries with statutes mandating their execution. Trans women are disproportionately targeted, especially those with darker skin. According to the GGB, in 445 LGBTs were murdered in 2017; 142 LGBTs murders have been documented so far in 2018.
Whether it is the police, the state government, or a conservative religious voting bloc, the Brazilian government participates in the systematic erasure of LGBT violence. Without the GGB’s dedication to documenting the violence, data on violence against LGBT people in Brazil would not be collected.
- Alexandra Gwillim '18