Organized by businessman Douglas Drummond, owner of Sauna 269 and Ong Casarão GLS, entrepreneurs from the GLS market met last night, Tuesday (27/01), with the president of the São Paulo LGBT Parade, Alexandre dos Santos, the Xande. The idea of the meeting was to propose partnerships and new forms for the demonstration.
However, things didn't go very well. Many businesspeople who were there don't even work in the GLS market. For Sergio di Pietro, executive director of the websites Disponivel.com and The Cape, there was a lack of organization and focus. "A meeting of businesspeople with the parade would be very useful, but it must be guided and really with businesspeople, it doesn't need B celebrities and friends of friends."
Some businesspeople suggested to the management of the Parada Association the creation of Abadás – only those who have the special shirt, in this case purchased, enter a certain space. The idea was rejected by the president of the association. "The purpose of the Parade is not to separate, it is a public celebration", but Xande does not rule out partnerships with the business community. "Our doors are open, they can help us a lot in terms of security and infrastructure", he concluded.
André Pomba, DJ and cultural producer, disagrees with Xande and says that it is necessary to review the format of the demonstration. "We need to discuss the Parade, but not at a dinner but rather at a meeting. Otherwise we run the risk of going through what people in Berlin went through, they organized the Love Parade which lost control and the city hall banned it." Pomba believes that the "format [of the Parade] is outdated, it was important to give visibility, but we need to go further".
Still regarding the meeting, Sergio di Pietro believes that it needs to be something more serious and more focused. “It was a dinner. He only had 20 minutes with the president of the parade, I don't think he needed dinner, he just needed a meeting with the APO. Calmer and more directed.”
André Pomba has a similar opinion. “The initiative was great, but not the format of the meeting. It had to be a kind of conference, as it is something big and serious." Xande, president of Parada, says he liked what he found. “This is the way to build dialogue.”
