Lesbian Pride Day in Brazil Date in the current year: August 19, 2024

Even though today LGBTQ+ rights in Brazil rank among highest in the world, it has not always been so. In 1830, Brazil became one of the first countries to legalize sexual intercourse between two people of the same sex when Dom Pedro I signed into law the new penal code that eliminated all reference to sodomy, which was quite progressive. However, the legality of same-sex activity does not necessarily mean equal rights for LGBTQ+ people.

Homosexuality in Brazil was especially frowned upon during the era of military dictatorship that began in 1964 when senior commanders of the Brazilian Army overthrew president João Goulart, which is not surprising since the coup was supported by the most conservative sectors of Brazilian society. The first LGBT activist groups began to emerge in Brazil in the 1970s, and soon the first demonstrations in support of LGBTQ+ rights were held.

Lesbian Pride Day commemorates the anniversary of one of such demonstrations: the 1983 protest at Ferro’s Bar, often referred to as the Brazilian Stonewall. Ferro’s Bar in São Paulo was known for its lesbian clientele. However, they refused to allow lesbian and feminist activists Rosely Roth and Miriam Martinho to distribute their newspaper ChanacomChana and banned them from the bar after a physical altercation.

In response, Roth, Martinho, and other members of the Feminist Lesbian Action Group (Grupo Ação Lésbica Feminista, GALF) organized a non-violent demonstration to protest the ban on August 19, 1983. Their demonstration got extensive media coverage thanks to their proactive and nonviolent approach. As a result, the bar lifted the ban and gained even more lesbian patrons.

The 1983 Ferro Bar protest was a first major campaign against the discrimination of queer people in Brazil. Even though the situation with LGBTQ+ rights in Brazil has vastly improved since the end of military dictatorship in 1985, Lesbian Pride Day serves as a reminder of the struggle of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly lesbian women, for equality and visibility.

The celebration of Lesbian Pride Day reminds that lesbian women are still victims of discrimination, prejudice and violence, and puts a special emphasis on intersectionality to highlight the struggle of women who belong to more than one vulnerable groups: Black lesbians, lesbians from low-income families, transgender lesbian women, etc. These women are more likely to experience sexual abuse and domestic violence, and have fewer opportunities for education and employment.

As we’ve mentioned above, Brazil’s Lesbian Pride Day should not be confused with Lesbian Visibility Day. The latter is celebrated ten days later to commemorate the anniversary of the first National Lesbian Seminar that was held on August 29, 1996.