On a day of gray gay pride, only the Gay Parades are the only ones to add some color to life. It was like that yesterday, in the demonstration that took to the streets of the center of Guarulhos during the afternoon and brought together between 10 and 20 thousand people, according to the organization.
Scheduled for 14pm, the walk only left after 16pm. The opening featured speeches from municipal authorities. Genivaldo Espíndola, from the NGO MEL (Movement for Free Sexual Orientation), the group responsible for organizing the march, also called on activists Lula Ramires, from Grupo CORSA, and Alessandro Melchior, from GADA, representing the São Paulo LGBT Forum, to speak.
Of all the speeches, it is worth highlighting Alessandro's, who brought a youthful freshness to the usual congratulations and excited the audience present with the spontaneity of his speech. The young activist began his speech by asking who went to the São Paulo Gay Parade and took the opportunity to mention the case of the "bomb" and the death of Marcelo Campos Barros, 35 years old, after the demonstration in São Paulo.
"These two cases are very symptomatic because they reveal something that is very common in everyday life: homophobia," he said. "Usually people honor their dead with 1 minute of silence. But we, LGBTs, have been silent for a long time and we can no longer remain silent. Let's honor our dead with a round of applause", asked the boy.
Melchior's speech was only applauded more than that of Léo Áquilla, who received shouts of "I love you", while drawing attention to the importance of votes in elections. "No more asking for alms, no more asking politicians for crumbs. We have the power to put someone to represent us in government", said the drag queen, who has already contested two elections. The city's mayor, Sebastião Almeida (PT), attended the event and wished the protesters a "Happy Parade".
Changes and gastronomy
The Guarulhense Gay Parade had its route changed this year. Unlike 2008, when the demonstration ended near the Parque Cecap stadium, this year it traveled along Monteiro Lobato and João Gonçalves streets – important streets in the city center – ending on Nove de Julho street, where a stage was set up to host the shows. of drags.
The event was marked by a peaceful atmosphere, although it was possible to notice many people with purple lips due to the consumption of Chapinha wine. The number of street vendors was large, which at times hindered the flow of the demonstration. In addition to the traditional drink sellers, corn, popcorn, barbecue and even couscous sellers could be seen. Corn and melted cheese on a stick could be purchased for R$3.
The demonstration featured six trios. Paulete Pertubada and Mil Space animated the first car. “Is Guarulhos gay or not?” asked the drag queens. “Yeah!” the audience responded in chorus. The São Paulo State Nurses Union and the Municipal STD/Aids Program also participated in the journey.
