When Peripheries Become the Center: Black LGBT+ Artistic Expression in the Favelas of Maré, Rio de Janeiro

While Brazil has progressive LGBT legislation and robust Pride Parades, most of these achievements do not contemplate expressions of same-sex desire from the favelas. I address this gap by uncovering non-conventional, street-based and grassroots currents of LGBT+ agency in Maré. I draw upon interviews, documentary analysis and photographs to engage with performances, theater plays, art collectives and music shows. I argue that such practices constitute a major channel of non-normative engagement in the favelas over the past three decades. They do so by queering up sexual and gender norms, decolonizing artistic production and reclaiming the streets of Maré as the stage of performances. My findings shift away from a mainstream thread of LGBT+ history and art in Brazil by shedding light on the collective potential of Black, working-class and non-heterosexual struggles for sexual emancipation.