ETHNOGRAPHIC NOTES ON TWO STREET DEMONSTRATIONS BY TRANS ACTIVISM IN BRAZIL

From the ethnographic observation of the 18th São Paulo LGBT Pride Parade (5/4/2014) and of the Rio de Janeiro Transgender Day of Visibility (1/29/2015), I seek to link together the uses of the internet, the productions of political alliances, the fight for social visibility and the political dramaturgies put forward by trans activists. The option of focusing on these two demonstrations is based on the antagonistic characterizations regarding its “political success” from the native point of view (with the former being considered a defeat in comparison to the latter’s success), at the same time in which they put forward dramaturgies and similar repertories, to wit: 1) utilizations of social networks in the internet; 2) establishment of alliances with different political groups; 3) utilization of the “corpo-bandeira” [“flag body”]. Finally, I seek elements in the possible legacies of Brazil’s so-called “Jornadas de Junho” [June Journeys] of 2013, both in the represented disputes and the different evaluations on the demonstrations’ (un)success.

Transvestite; Transsexual; Social movements; Street demonstrations; Internet