Grupo Gay da Bahia
Encyclopedia
The Gay Group of Bahia is the oldest association for the defense of the human rights
for homosexuals functioning in Brazil
. Founded in 1980 by Luiz Mott
, in the city of Salvador, Bahia
, the GGB was registered as a non-profit organization in 1983, and was declared a public service organization
of the city of Salvador in 1987. It is a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, it forms part of the staff of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, the National Association of Black and White Men Together, and it is a "twin" of the RFSL of Stockholm.
Since 1989, it has been a member of the Ministry of Heath's
National Commission to Control AIDS, and since 1995 it has been one of the coordinators of the Secretariat of Human Rights of the Brazilian Association of Gay
s, Lesbian
s and Transvestites. The GGB was directly responsible for the foundation of several groups in defense of the human rights of homosexuals in other states of Brazil, and it provides a meeting space for the Lesbian Group of Bahia, the Association of Transvestites of Salvador, and the Anti-AIDS Center of Bahia, entities which are allied with yet independent from the GGB. In 1985, the GGB promoted the Third Encounter of the Brazilian Homosexual Movement and in 1994, the Sixth Encounter of Brazilian AIDS NGO's. The group publishes the GGB Bulletin two or three times a year, and has produced two dozen pamphlets and booklets about homosexuality and AIDS. Marcelo Cerqueira
is the current president of the GGB.
, race and ethnicity, religion
, or political ideology
: the GGB presently has 500 regular members. The GGB has its own center, generously offered by one of the directors, located at Rua Frei Vicente, 24 – Pelourinho. The space is made up of a three-storey house and holds a small library, an archive and an office with a telephone, fax and computer. It houses the largest archive of newspaper
s, magazine
s, and other printed material on the history of homosexuality in Latin America. The center is open to the public during business hours.
Since its foundation, the GGB has held two weekly meetings, every Wednesday and Friday, from 8 to 10 p.m. These meetings are coordinated by the group’s Board of Directors and are dedicated to the discussion of topics of interest to the gay community
. Between 100 and 200 people visit the GGB’s center every week, making the number of visitors during the group's 16 years of existence exceed 20,000. The following subgroups form part of the GGB: the Quimbanda-Dudu Group of Black Gays of Bahia; the Gay Stamp Association of Brazil; the Brazilian Association of Parents and Friends of Homosexuals; the Center for Homosexual Studies.
Human rights in Brazil
Human rights in Brazil are legally protected by the Brazilian Constitution, statutes and laws. However, there are serious issues in regard to human rights abuses. Brazil had a remarkably poor record during the dictatorship of the 1960s, and still has many problems today...
for homosexuals functioning in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Founded in 1980 by Luiz Mott
Luiz Mott
Luiz Roberto de Barros Mott or Luiz Mott , is a researcher and an anthropologist, a historian and one of the most notable gay civil rights activists in Brazil....
, in the city of Salvador, Bahia
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, the GGB was registered as a non-profit organization in 1983, and was declared a public service organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
of the city of Salvador in 1987. It is a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, it forms part of the staff of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, the National Association of Black and White Men Together, and it is a "twin" of the RFSL of Stockholm.
Since 1989, it has been a member of the Ministry of Heath's
Ministry of Health (Brazil)
The Ministry of Health is one of many the Brazilian federal government ministries.Created on July 25, 1953 as the Ministry of Education and Health , today it is effectively divided into three distinct official organs: Health, Education, and Culture.-External links:*...
National Commission to Control AIDS, and since 1995 it has been one of the coordinators of the Secretariat of Human Rights of the Brazilian Association of Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s, Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s and Transvestites. The GGB was directly responsible for the foundation of several groups in defense of the human rights of homosexuals in other states of Brazil, and it provides a meeting space for the Lesbian Group of Bahia, the Association of Transvestites of Salvador, and the Anti-AIDS Center of Bahia, entities which are allied with yet independent from the GGB. In 1985, the GGB promoted the Third Encounter of the Brazilian Homosexual Movement and in 1994, the Sixth Encounter of Brazilian AIDS NGO's. The group publishes the GGB Bulletin two or three times a year, and has produced two dozen pamphlets and booklets about homosexuality and AIDS. Marcelo Cerqueira
Marcelo Cerqueira
Marcelo Cerqueira was born in the state of Bahia, Brazil. He is a historian and the president of Grupo Gay da Bahia, the oldest functioning gay rights organization in Brazil. Grupo Gay da Bahia was established by anthropologist, researcher, professor and LGBT activist Luiz Mott.- External links :*...
is the current president of the GGB.
Objectives of the GGB
The GGB has three objectives:- To defend the rightsRightsRights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
to full citizenshipCitizenshipCitizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
for gays, lesbians, transvestites and transsexuals of BahiaBahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
and Brazil, denouncing and fighting against all manifestations of homophobiaHomophobiaHomophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and sexual discrimination;
- To spread accurate information about homosexuality, promoting the establishment of sexual education courses in all schools, to put an end to ignorance and the conspiracy of silence against the "love that dare not speak its name" through a discourse which is scientifically and politically correct;
- To promote awareness among the greatest number of gays, lesbians, transvestites and transsexuals about the urgent need to fight for their full civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, as well as to give access to information and support regarding sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.
Organization and Functioning
The Gay Group of Bahia is coordinated by six non-salaried Directors, (President, Vice-president, Treasurer, and three Coordinators), elected for three years. Any citizen can become a member of the GGB, independent of sex, sexual orientationSexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, race and ethnicity, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, or political ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
: the GGB presently has 500 regular members. The GGB has its own center, generously offered by one of the directors, located at Rua Frei Vicente, 24 – Pelourinho. The space is made up of a three-storey house and holds a small library, an archive and an office with a telephone, fax and computer. It houses the largest archive of newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, and other printed material on the history of homosexuality in Latin America. The center is open to the public during business hours.
Since its foundation, the GGB has held two weekly meetings, every Wednesday and Friday, from 8 to 10 p.m. These meetings are coordinated by the group’s Board of Directors and are dedicated to the discussion of topics of interest to the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
. Between 100 and 200 people visit the GGB’s center every week, making the number of visitors during the group's 16 years of existence exceed 20,000. The following subgroups form part of the GGB: the Quimbanda-Dudu Group of Black Gays of Bahia; the Gay Stamp Association of Brazil; the Brazilian Association of Parents and Friends of Homosexuals; the Center for Homosexual Studies.
See also
- LGBT rights in Brazil
- List of LGBT rights organisations
- LGBT rights organizationLGBT rights organizationLGBT rights organizations are civil rights, health, and community organizations created and existing to further the civil and human rights and health of sexual minorities and to improve the gay community....
External links
- Grupo Gay da Bahia (website in Portuguese w/ info page in English)
- J's Theater Interview with Marcelo Cerqueira