One Brazilian politician has found the courage to condemn the hateful attacks on the LGBTQ community by current President Jair Bolsonaro. His name is David Miranda.
With violence against LGBTQ people on the rise in Brazil, Miranda’s presence in the Brazilian Congress as an out-gay, black man already carries heavy risk. His predecessor and friend Jean Wyllys, who also happens to be a black gay man, had to flee the country after numerous death threats earlier this year. His friend Marielle Franco, another black gay politician, was murdered last March. Authorities have arrested two police officers in connection with her murder, which Miranda suspects was ordered by the Bolsonaro government.
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“It’s not enough to know who pulled the trigger. We need to know who ordered her death,” Miranda says of his friend. “People always say Marielle became much more influential in her death, but if she was alive today I assure you she would be just as great. She had such a bright future. I need to take everything she did and keep going forward.”
Now Miranda has taken his message and his anger to Congress with the intention of standing up to the hateful policies of the Bolsonaro government. The queer community of Brazil has already labeled Miranda a hero. “So many LGBT families who want to adopt kids are coming to me,” he says. “They’re [looking for a way] to rush the process because they’re afraid that Bolsonaro, with a pen and a piece of paper, could revoke these rights that we’ve fought for.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Miranda and his husband, journalist Glenn Greenwald, have already received death threats against themselves and their two children. That hasn’t stopped Miranda from sponsoring a bill which would allow for teachers and politicians to go through sensitivity training on LGBTQ issues before assuming their jobs. He’s also criticized Bolsonaro for ignoring stagnated lower-class wages and failing to curb corruption and organized crime in the government. Miranda hopes that even in disquieting times, he can help bring public attention to overlooked issues, advocate for LGBTQ causes and bring hope to the Brazilian public.
“People are really paying attention to politics now,” Miranda says of the rise of Bolsonaro, “and that’s something money can’t buy.”
Kangol2
David Miranda is an impressive young man. As the article notes, he replaced Jean Wyllys, Brazil’s amazing former legislator. Wyllys was the second out gay man or gay person ever to sit in their Congress and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ people, and had to flee for his life after a series of death threats. Wyllys had openly challenged Brazil’s current president Jair Bolsonaro when he was in Congress, and after Bolsonaro’s election, the threats against Wyllys were relentless. I’m glad he’s safe now, and I hope and pray Miranda and Glenn Greenwald have personal protection against the right-wing crazies down there.
DavidThomasCurran
I hope he survives too but I think he and Glenn would be better off leaving Brazil for the sake of their children.
GayNOTQueer
If Queerty spent less time jerking off to straight men and actually strived to become a serious place for Queer content, then they would have been following Glenn a Greenwald who has done some of the most important journalist work uncovering corporate media.
Currently he is the only one shinning a light of the farce that is the ‘Russian meddling’ and talking about the coup taking place in Venezuela.
But alas, this is too much to ask if a third rate charlatan like Graham Gremore who seems more interested in comparing notes with James Charles.
JACVing
There is no “coup” in Venezuela. Only a fight for democracy.