Brazil, South America

Downtown Centro Rio is inland from the beaches. It is the heart of the city where financial, legislative and political offices are located. These include Brazil’s first state-supported LGBT agencies that were set up to counter homophobia in the city–’Rio Sem Homophobia’. Their offices take up a whole floor of City Hall. Centro also includes parks, markets, colonial architecture, modern skyscrapers, the unusual Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral and the first electric trolley car in the country…and much more. Posted Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Santa Teresa is the name of an uphill neighborhood above Rio Centro on Santa Teresa hill. It’s famous for its winding, narrow streets along which ‘upscale slums’ are mixed with middle-class houses and artist studios. Among the buildings are some elegant mansions left over from the more opulent 19th century. In 1896, the Carioca Aqueduct, a colonial structure that used to bring water to the center of Rio, was converted into a viaduct for the Santa Teresa Trolley (bondinho). The historic tram line is still in operation today carrying passengers–students, workers, tourists. The track starts in the city center then crosses the old arched aqueduct and snakes through the picturesque streets with its wheels screeching at every curve. Posted Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rocinha is the largest slum (favela) area in Rio. It’s situated on the hills behind the city with panoramic views of the mountains and ocean. The people are generally poor but life in the favela teems with energy, enterprise, domestic activity, artwork, music (we encountered a spontaneous dance performance by a 9 year-old), day care centers, charity groups, schools as well as mafia-style control zones where the drug trade is said to flourish. Small tourist groups are led through the narrow alleyways by an authorized guide, occasionally passing by a gang member armed with a semi-automatic rifle. Other favelas can be navigated independently by tourist on foot. Going alone was considered previously consider foolish, but some are now under control by the Police Pacification Units and are safe to visit, such as the Santa Marta or Cantagalo favelas. People are friendly, some with shops selling pastries or jewelry. Posted Rio

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ on Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. The statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931. Read more on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_%28statue%29) Posted Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ipanema Beach and Copacabana Beach are a paradise for people watching, sunbathing and socializing. On weekends the avenues along the beaches are closed to traffic and they become great long promenades of people dressed in every manner of attire–including uninhibited men and women dressed in tiny swimsuits. The atmosphere is mellow, respectful, playful and friendly with virtually no sign of the crime so often reported by the media. The beaches are miles long and accommodate tens of thousands of people; the crowds vary according to the weather. Posted Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

With over 20 million people in the metropolitan area, São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the western and southern hemisphere, and the world’s seventh largest city by population. Posted Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Sao Paulo has significant influence nationally and internationally, in terms of culture, economy and politics. It houses several important monuments, parks and museums. It is also home to the world’s largest gay Pride Parade that happens every June (separately from Carnival in February). The last parade, held on June 6, 2010, attracted about 3 million people. The Paulista-Caneca area is populated by many LGBT citizens with numerous bars, shops and cafes, Pictured here (first 5 photos) is Casarao-Brasil, one of many LGBT organizations in the city. The central city is generally accepting of same-sex couples who feel comfortable enough to hold hands in public (photo 6). Posted Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.

A Huge Country with a Huge Gay Scene By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com May 2011 For the second time in as many months I happened to be in a country when historic LGBT events have occurred. First, in Botswana in March of this year when the human rights organization, Bonela, and the LGBT association LeGaBiBo, for the first time ever, filed a High Court suit against the government claiming the country’s anti-gay laws currently on the books are unconstitutional. The second happened May 5, 2011 in Brazil when the Federal Supreme Court ruled unanimously (10 to 0) that Civil Unions are legally acceptable relationships between adult citizens of the same gender. The ruling grants that gay couples are entitled to most of the rights of heterosexual partners, including marital ceremonies, pension benefits, inheritance and, according to some lawyers, the right to adopt children. (photo, Iguacu Falls Brazil side) “This is a

Brazil is a dazzle. Every aspect of this huge country overwhelms, challenges, stimulates or puzzles the first time visitor, which I am. I came for three full weeks and each day has been a unique chapter in my memory book–even just driving a car on the main highways here. Brazil decided decades ago, unfortunately, to invest in roads instead of railways, thanks to the lobbying influence of the oil, rubber and auto industries. The result is that today tens of thousands of heavy cargo trucks–6 to 24 wheelers–blaze along the highways making pleasure driving anything but. But that’s another whole story. (photo above: Iguacu Falls) My story is about LGBT life in Brazil which is also a lesson in overwhelm. There are hundreds of lesbian, gay, trans and bisexual organizations in this country, mostly in the major cities along the Atlantic coastline which stretches over 4000 miles south to north.

Intro: A guest author from Holland leaps across the Atlantic to far off Salvador city in Brazil where he finds sunshine, passion and willing companions to share languid days and steamy nights. He offers useful insights on realities of money, prostitution, LGBT venues, lesbians and pro-gay laws. Also see: Gay Brazil News & Reports 2000 to present Gay Brazil Stories By Vincent van der K (Story from: http://www.gay-news.com/article04.php?sid=475 For Dutch gays who’ve had it with once again Gran Canaria or Ibiza, a visit to the exciting Brazilian town Salvador might offer new and stimulating vistas. Salvador, capital of Bahia, in Northeast Brazil at the Atlantic coast. With its tropical sea climate, the mercury on the coldest day of the last 300 years indicated 21 C. In summer, December – February, temperatures can rise to some 35 C. But the seawinds bring in an ever welcome cooling breeze. For centuries Salvador

Homosexuality in Brazil: Two Stories (1) A long candid talk with author James N. Green who wrote Beyond Carnival,–"a story of how gays found a way to survive in a society laced with petty prejudices, stereotypes, and violence. In the midst of it all, they managed to create lives for themselves that were full of passion, pain, love, happiness, and a bit of drama." (2) This is followed by personal coments by a native gay Brazilian who says "The laws here are very fair towards gays… gays and straights live freely with each other." Also see: Gay Brazil News & Reports 2000 to present Gay Brazil Stories From: Brazzil, ( http://www.brazzil.com ) (http://www.brazzil.com/p106feb03.htm) Story by Bernadete R. Beserra (1) Last June, thousands of Cariocas poured onto the streets of Copacabana to celebrate the World Cup victory. They were joined by over a hundred thousand gays, lesbians, and travestis (transvestites), who