In times after BBB11, which had the transsexual Ariadna as one of its attractions, it is worth remembering who was the first transsexual pop star in Brazil: Roberta Close.
Luís Roberto Gambine Moreira was the baptismal name of the child born on December 7, 1964, in Rio de Janeiro. Nineteen years later, in early 1984, she rose to fame by posing in erotic photos for a passing magazine called "Close". People started calling her "Roberta da Close", referring to that publication, and the nickname stuck. Hence the name: Roberta Close.
At the 1984 Carnival, Roberta caught the attention of the media and the Rio press, and became the muse of that summer. Throughout that year, she posed for other magazines, such as "Playboy" (in May) and "Ele & Ela" (September) - but did not show a frontal nude -, in addition to making newspaper headlines and magazine covers such as "Friend", "With you!" and "Headline".
Overnight, Roberta became a national star. The population didn't really understand who that stunning brunette was, and confusion was widespread. She was called a "transvestite", since at the time the word "transsexual" was little known and used in common sense. It was also claimed that Roberta was a so-called "hermaphrodite", that is, she had both sexes.
Roberta herself touched on the subject in future interviews, when she stated that she was born with "a tiny penis and the absence of testicles." According to her, at the age of 12 she was surprised by the appearance of breasts. In adolescence, the enigma set in once and for all.
Celebrating this confusion between man and woman, the duo Roberto and Erasmo Carlos composed the song "Close", which Erasmo recorded. The singer himself starred in the clip, alongside Roberta – the clip was shown on "Fantástico" and the song was a hit all over Brazil. Good times pre-political correctness and pre-moralism and conservatism, when two popular idols like Roberto and Erasmo were not afraid to release a song in honor of a "transvestite".
"Transvestite" or "Transsexual", Roberta continued in the media and attended TV programs such as "Viva a Noite" and "Comando da Madrugada", from SBT, "Perdidos na Noite", presented by Fausto Silva on Gazeta, later on Bandeirantes and later on Record, and even a special just for her, called "Big Close", where Roberta interviewed Xuxa – the video is already a YouTube classic, especially the section in which Xuxa and Roberta imagine what they would do together in an island.
Roberta even took risks as an actress, acting in projects such as the film "The Scarlet Scorpion" (1989), by Ivan Cardoso, and participating in TV comedy shows. Until, in 1989, the big turning point came: sex change surgery, carried out in London. Afterwards, Roberta posed nude again in "Playboy", still in 89, this time showing everything – and proving that, once and for all, she was a woman.
In the 90s, Roberta was absent from the Brazilian scene. She married Swiss Roland Granacher, and lived in Zurich, Switzerland, even obtaining Swiss citizenship. And she began her fight to get her birth name officially changed. In 1992, she achieved a first victory in this regard in a Rio de Janeiro court, but later the decision was revoked, in 1997. Only in March 2005, she obtained the definitive right and changed her name to Roberta Gambine Moreira.
In 1998, journalist Lúcia Rito released the biography of the muse, called "Very Prazer, Roberta Close", which shed more light on Roberta's life. At the time, Roberta had just finished acting in the soap opera "Mandacaru", on the now extinct TV Manchete, in 1997, and came to Brazil to launch the book. Ten years later, in 2008, she was on the SBT program "Nada Além da Verdade", where she answered questions, under the radar of a lie detector. Among other things, she stated: "I am a normal, complete woman, with orgasms and the G-spot."
The most recent appearance of Roberta, now 46 years old, in the national media had to do with Ariadna. The two came into conflict after an interview with Roberta as she left a Carnival dance in Rio, last March. Asked why Ariadna was eliminated in the first week of "Big Brother Brasil 11", Roberta had no doubts: she classified Ariadna as vulgar. "Brazilians are used to Rogéria and Roberta Close, that is, they demand something more beautiful and sophisticated."
The statement caused a lot of controversy, of course, and Ariadna responded on Twitter, assuring that she "didn't care" about Close, and that it was necessary to "respect your elders".
None of this, however, will erase the brilliance and charisma of Roberta Close, who will forever hold the title of being the first transsexual to pose for "Playboy", and more: in 2005, the now-defunct "Flashback" magazine, dedicated to the 80s, published a special edition with a ranking of the 80 women who defined the decade. And behold, at the end of the magazine, the editors – all of them heterosexual male journalists – reveal the first place winner: Roberta Close.
Yes, Roberta Close ended up being considered the Number 1 Woman of the 80s in Brazil – the country of machismo and sexual hypocrisy. Here's a tip.
