Carlos Tufvesson is among the most successful designers in Brazil. About two months ago, the young man spent a week on the program 'Mais Você', by Ana Maria Braga, as a mentor in a fashion competition. One fact that sets Carlos apart from most designers is that, in addition to his talent with the needle, Tufvesson is politically involved and whenever he can, he brings up the subject when he participates in television programs, which, for him, works and makes the housewife understand better. that "you can't come and say, 'you fagot, get out of here'".
Carlos welcomed us at the Casa Moda space, where there is a show room with his pieces and says that he is already producing things for "three months from now". In the interview with The Cape, the designer talks about his project "Fashion in the fight against HIV" which carries out work to combat AIDS in partnership with Sociedade Viva Cazuza. Of course, the conversation continued and, in addition to the campaign and fashion, we talked about politics. "In Brazil there is no pro-LGBT party, what we have are parliamentarians who embrace the cause", says Tufvesson. Check out the full interview below.
To begin with, I would like you to talk about your project "Fashion in the fight against HIV".
I have been doing the project for seven years, always in line with December 1st, which is the day to fight AIDS. Why? About ten years ago the rate of contagion among women was very high and at that time, and in fact until today, it remains in the collective unconscious. Among the technicians and among us activists of the cause, this was not talked about much.
How did you start the public approach?
I work with women and so every December 1st in my store we held an event to distribute the red ribbon with a t-shirt that was sold to a charity that looked after HIV-positive children. Lucinha Araújo [Cazuza's mother] always told me which one was the most serious to make the donation, as I've known Lucinha for a long time.
Are you partners?
Sociedade Viva Cazuza lives and has always lived off Cazuza's copyrights and the funds it received. Now, not even Viva Cazuza has any money, this is a reality. For three years now we have been campaigning for Viva Cazuza as well. I called the Ipanema Neighborhood Association to take on this campaign with me because it's the following: my interest was for the red ribbon to be in a sequence of shop windows, and that's really cool for people to look at and think: 'the cure doesn't exist, it has to be use condoms regardless of what religious groups say'. If they preach sexual abstinence, they should not speak out about sex.
Did you have support in the campaigns?
In the first campaign we had super support and it grew. This year we had the support of the State Government for the first time and then on the day of the campaign we had a super surprise. The Secretary of Health signed an agreement with Viva Cazuza, which has had a closing deficit for five months and is unable to close its accounts and, best of all, the elected mayor, Eduardo Paes, was there and has already guaranteed the campaign for next year and also make funding available from the city hall for Viva Cazuza. So, in addition to visibility, this was very important as it will allow Lucinha's work to continue. It's a beautiful, serious work and I was in danger of finishing it.
Did you expect the Sergio Cabral government to be so pro-LGBT?
Sergio has been an ally since he was a state deputy, most of the laws in Rio de Janeiro were made by him and [Carlos] Minc [current Minister of the Environment]. Sergio has always been a fighter for the issue of human rights and the elderly. He was known for being the third party and civil rights congressman. The law that he regulated as governor – which guarantees pension rights to same-sex partners of public employees – was drafted while he was a state deputy, so it was not new.
In addition to being a fashion designer, you are very involved in political activism in favor of LGBT rights, how do you see the movement today?
Sergio, as a senator, made a PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) which for me and, according to lawyers who always follow me, was the best solution to the issue of civil union, because it changed the article of the constitution where civil union is says to man and woman. If this amendment passed, the masculine and feminine would be removed. At the time, it had the support of the PFL through senator Jorge Bornhausen (DEM) and if it had been supported by the movement, this PEC would have regulated all other ordinary laws. So, we wouldn't need to regulate the state employee law. Part of the movement did not support it because the amendment was from the PMDB, that is the great truth. Sergio even considered handing over the authorship to a PT senator, who at the time was Serys [Slhessarenko], for the movement to take on this proposal.
What do you refer to this stance?
What the movement does not understand is that there is a political cost to defending a cause, it is not something that brings votes, we are seeing that no activist was elected. Iara Bernardi (author of PLC 122) was not re-elected, [deputy Luciano] Zica was not re-elected. In Rio de Janeiro, Alice Tamborideguy was not re-elected, Laura Carneiro, who has always worked in parliament in favor of our rights, ditto. They were both banned from getting on the parade car too and they fought their entire lives for a cause. This is how the movement "thanks" the support of the parliamentarians who support us.
Is it a partisanship problem then?
The social movement has to be above political issues. If Senator Fátima Cleide gives a beautiful speech, like she did defending PLC 122, one of the most beautiful speeches in the Senate defending us in a brilliant way, I give her a standing ovation. Women fight for us, applause to them, regardless of the party.
So do you believe that this party issue in Brazil hinders the achievement of rights?
I have no doubts about that. In fact, there is no party that is pro-LGBT, there are parliamentarians who are pro-LGBT. In each party you will find deputies who will be in our favor, but a party like a bloc does not have one.
How so?
To give you an idea, when Marta put her project (civil union between people of the same sex) up for vote, the PT left the plenary. Marta had to withdraw from the vote three times due to lack of quorum. But, it's not a party issue, they are deputies who are linked to more conservative bases and he doesn't go against his base.
What about civil unions?
Man, we've been discussing this for thirteen years, the project dates back to 1995 and now there are three countries in South America that approved it without ever discussing it.
And Cuba is discussing laws for transsexuals.
I know, and isn't it crazy? Cuba sent gays to the wall. We have had a pro-LGBT government for six years, it gives funds to the movement and it still doesn't happen. I don't say that to a rich woman, because that doesn't interest me. I just want to see my rights recognized and we can't get out of this mess.
Do you believe PLC 122 will be approved?
If they don't change the text, it won't be approved. The problem there is that the movement has terrible communication, whether with the press… they don't know how to communicate. For example, I was on the program 'Mais Você', by Ana Maria Braga, for a week, whenever I could I talked about PLC 122. On the day of Gay Pride I managed 16 minutes, then the other day a guy came to tell me that talking
