National Lesbian Visibility Day in Brazil Date in the current year: August 29, 2024

Homosexuality in Brazil became legal in 1830, when Dom Pedro I signed a new penal code eliminating all references to sodomy. However, the legality of same-sex sexual activity does not automatically mean equal rights. For instance, homosexuality was frowned upon during Brazil’s military dictatorship era (1964–1985), but it was then that the first LGBT activist groups began to emerge in the country.

The first independent lesbian organization in Brazil was the Feminist Lesbian Action Group (Grupo Ação Lésbica Feminista, GALF), which split from the Homosexual Affirmation Group in 1981. It was founded by Míriam Martinho, Rosely Roth, and other activists. GALF worked to increase lesbian visibility through publications and activism.

GALF is probably best known for their newspaper ChanacomChana and the 1983 protest at Ferro’s Bar, referred to as the “Brazilian Stonewall”. When Ferro’s Bar in São Paulo, which was frequented by lesbians, refused to allow Martinho and Roth to distribute their newspaper and banned them from the establishment, GALF staged a non-violent demonstration at the bar. It was the first major protest against the discrimination of LGBT individuals in Brazil. After the end of the military dictatorship, the situation with LGBT rights in Brazil quickly began to improve, in no small part thanks to people who made sure that the voices of LGBT individuals could be heard.

National Lesbian Visibility Day was created by Brazilian lesbian activists. Its date was chosen to commemorate the first National Lesbian Seminar (Seminário Nacional de Lésbicas, Senale) that took place on August 29, 1996. Events and activities on the occasion are organized by various Brazilian LGBTQ+ organizations, gender and sexuality departments of some universities such as Bahia State University and the Federal University of Tocantins, and the Ministries of Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights and Citizenship.

National Lesbian Visibility Day highlights the resistance of queer women against oppression and their struggle for their rights. Today, Brazil is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in the world; as of 2023, it ranked 15th in the annual LGBT Equality Index. However, it wasn’t always so, and it is important to recognize all the people who have fought for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation.

It should be noted that the Brazilian LGBTQ+ community has two observances dedicated to lesbian women: National Lesbian Visibility Day and National Lesbian Pride Day (Dia Nacional do Orgulho Lésbico). The latter was created in 2003 and is observed on August 19 to commemorate the protest at Ferro’s bar and honor the memory of Rosley Roth.

Brazil is not the only country to have a Lesbian Day / Lesbian Pride Day / Lesbian Visibility Day. For example, Lesbian Visibility Day in Chile is observed on July 9 to commemorate the anniversary of the murder of lesbophobic murder of Mónica Briones. Internationally, Lesbian Visibility Day is celebrated on April 26 and International Lesbian Day occurs on October 8.