An event was held yesterday, Wednesday (29), in the UERJ auditorium in São Gonçalo, commemorating the three months since the death of Alexandre Ivo, who was tortured and strangled in the early hours of Sunday to Monday, June 21. The motto was the arrest of the suspects, who are responding in freedom, speed of justice and criminalization of homophobia.
Moments before the start of the act, the reporter met Angélica Ivo, mother of the murdered boy, at a bus terminal in the city of Niterói (RJ). Angélica is fighting to have the suspects arrested. The mother says that she is experiencing her grief, but that now she will only rest until she sees justice done. During the journey, far from that mother withdrawn by pain, Angélica confesses that she has moments of anguish because of what happened.
"Today I spent the whole day thinking about the coroner's testimony at the first hearing. I kept thinking about the pain Ale went through, the suffering they imposed on him… People say I shouldn't think, but it's impossible not to think!", says Angélica. Near the descent point, a swastika is easily seen. One of the suspects, Alan Siqueira Freitas, 23, is a Nazi sympathizer.
Alexandre (V) Ivo
The clock showed 17:45 pm, the report was already in the city of São Gonçalo. Ale's mother (as everyone refers to Alexandre Ivo) temporarily said goodbye to the team. "I'm going home and taking a shower," she warned her.
At the door of UERJ it was already possible to see a considerable number of people attending the event. As soon as they saw Angélica, they immediately went to hug and comfort her. Inside the university, Marco Duarte, cousin of Angélica and Alexandre, who is helping with the mobilizations around the tragedy, hung posters with sayings calling for justice, criminalization of homophobia and the arrest of the killers.
At 19pm, with the auditorium full, around 100 people attended the event. The director of UERJ, Professor Teresa, began the speeches and said that she would like to have met Angélica on another occasion. "I have no words, but I understand that we have to celebrate Ale's life, memory and fight against homophobia", she said.
Then came one of the most moving moments of the act. Marco spoke and asked everyone to make noise. "My cousin Ale was a noisy person, so I'm going to ask you for a minute of noise and not silence." And so, everyone did as asked. Soon after, they shouted in chorus, three times in a row: "Alexandre, Alive!".
Three videos were later shown. The first, the strongest of all, displayed images from Alexandre's childhood, youth and current times, in this case, a photo of the body when found by the police. The next two videos were tributes made by friends and Ale's sister, Paula, who after the screening went to the pulpit to speak.
"I used to talk to my friends and say that I was born in the wrong era and that I wish I had been born during the fighting season", began Paula. "What an irony, today I am involved in a fight because of my brother, who was brutally murdered", she concluded to loud applause.
Very emotional, Angélica went to the microphone. She thanked everyone for coming and said that she will not give up until she sees the culprits in jail. "The fight is just beginning", began Angélica, who also confessed to those present that it is being difficult, but that she is transforming her "mourning into a fight".
Who also provided one of the most moving moments was ex-BBB Jean Wyllys, who has been by the Ivo family's side since the beginning of the case. Jean spoke about the defamatory campaign, which he suffered during the elections for being gay, and also remembered when he was Ale's age and the misfortunes he faced because, like the honoree, he did not fit into society's norms.
"Homophobia does not operate alone, it is everywhere. If homophobia put an end to Ale's boyish body, let's not let his story be erased and let's make sure he continues to live in the memory of his family and friends", concluded Wyllys.
At the end of the act, Marco Duarte criticized some public institutions that promised help. "We are going to show the Special Secretariat for Human Rights (SEDH) and the Secretariat for Diffuse Rights, who turned their backs on us, that we are not going to be cowed. We are going to put an end to this violence. We are not going to change the world, but we are going to be able to resolve 1, 2, 3 cases and so on".
Finally, Angélica said that the task ahead is "arduous", but that each person present at the event can take this fight forward and, thus, "we increase the number of soldiers who want justice done. You can multiply. We have to mobilize and raise awareness. How many cases like Ale's happen every day and no one knows about it?"
In addition to all the energy and revolt at the event, another factor marked the night. The city of São Gonçalo is being forced to see billboards every day by pastor Silas Malafaia, where he exhorts homosexuals. The panel carries the following words: "In favor of the family and preservation of the human species – God made Male and Female". Local organizations are studying ways to remove the billboards. (See photo at the end of the article)
Two new acts are already scheduled. The first will be on November 30th, the day Alexandre Ivo would turn 15 years old. The second act will be on December 7th, when the second hearing of the case will be held. A vigil at the door of the São Gonçalo Forum is scheduled
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