It's been four years since one of Brazil's biggest LGBT icons said goodbye. The activist and multimedia artist Claudia Wonder (1955-2010) marked the LGBT movement and brought, through its transgressions, trans visibility with dignity.
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A transvestite with pride and intelligence, she was a writer, activist, singer in an electroclash rock band, performer and actress. In the 80s, she stripped naked and threw herself into a gooseberry bathtub, spraying "blood" on the patrons of Madame Satã.
Wonder was revered by the writer Caio Fernando Abreu – who wrote an article for her in the State of São Paulo – maintained friendship with Cazuza and even replaced the actress Sonia Braga at the theater, in a play by Zé Celso.
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And to remember the four years of absence, the THE CAPE brings some lessons that journalist Neto Lucon learned from his time with the star. Check out:
– Sensitivity to the trans cause
The group of transvestites and transsexuals is the last to appear in the LGBT acronym. It is also the group that suffers the most prejudice, that faces the most difficulty in entering the job market, that is still catapulted into prostitution and that most lacks an active voice for the so-called "movement". "People, especially gays and lesbians, need to pay attention to the trans cause", declared Claudia.
– Friends never criticize in public
If there was something she simply said, it was when a friend criticized her in a Facebook comment or on the late Orkut. She said: "Friends always praise in public and criticize off the record, in private – never the other way around. It's part of the etiquette of friendship."
– More love and less internalized prejudice
Claudia always asked people to look at their own prejudice, whether they were LGBT or cis and straight. In the documentary "Meu Amigo Claudia", by Dácio Pinheiro, she states: "It's the gay who doesn't like transvestites, it's the transvestite who doesn't like dykes, it's the transsexual who doesn't like being confused with a transvestite. I mean, all of this is generated by everyone's internalized homophobia. Because, deep down, no one wants to be a fagot and no one wants to be a dyke. Everyone wants to appear cute and clean, you know? clean. But why do I have to look straight? Why do I have to look like a woman and I can't look like a trucker?"
– Fight so that LGBT stops being a dirty word
The trans woman questioned the LGBT movement's fights and loss of energy over issues such as "gay kisses" in soap operas. According to Claudia, the problem lies in society's own view of gay people. "First, I think we have to fight so that the word "faggot" is no longer a bad word. Because, as long as the gay is not respected as a person, as long as he is compared to an animal and still finds it funny, as long as he does not have the courage to Coming out anywhere – I said, anywhere – everything gets more complicated (…) Trans people fight over their social name, to undergo sexual reassignment, but a lot die every day due to prejudice and I don't see anything being done to combat this Public policies do not address the problem.
– Come out of the closet!
No one and nothing deserves us to be locked and unhappy in the closet. No matter the pressure, conservatism and "the others". Live your sexuality to the fullest and the way you feel best. Those who really care about you will care about seeing you happy and not hidden inside themselves. That's what I heard from Claudia when I was a teenager.
– Man loves desire
Reproducing Nietzsche, Claudia always stated that men often love desire and not the desired person. "There are people who go to great lengths to achieve an achievement. After the goal is achieved, the conqueror doesn't even remember his name." In the book "Memoirs of Claudia Wonder", she reveals the flirtation of a cavalry soldier who did everything, including chasing her on the street, to get her phone number. She passed by, dreamed, but never saw him again.
– Visibility? May it be with dignity
In an article, she declared that she did not agree with the term "visibility" of "Trans Visibility" day, considering that trans people are always visible – and cannot hide in the closet – so the term would be redundant. "The most appropriate would be 'dignity'", she commented, referencing the approach in the media and the almost always negative presence of trans people in programs like Superpop and similar. "The fight must be for dignity and not visibility at any cost."
– The truth is not in the ID
She always questioned gender norms and fought for people to have the freedom to be who they are – without any kind of judgement. Claudia loved androgynous people, bearded people in skirts and all transgressions. Although she was at the forefront of the transvestite and transsexual movement, she never viewed such figures as a threat. She just made a point of saying, just like the song Diva da Dúvida, "I'm a diva of doubt, Wonder for you. The truth of what I am is not in the RG".
- Do not be afraid
Claudia thought that the new generation was somewhat comfortable in the face of cases of homophobia and transphobia. She said that we should not be afraid to advance, claim and even take risks – be it in any field of life. In her last interview, she said: "Don't be afraid of anything. The big culprit of everything that hinders our lives is fear. Everything will work out"
