São Paulo Trans Pride March

São Paulo Trans Pride March is an annual event held at Largo do Arouche, in the central region of the city of São Paulo, since its first edition in 2018.^[2] The march is conceived and organized by the SSEX BBOX Institute, with production and coordination by Pri Bertucci and Van Marcelino, in collaboration with the São Paulo city government. Its goal is to promote visibility and rights for trans people. It was the first event in Brazil to specifically focus on the transgender community and distinguishes itself from the LGBT+ Pride Parade of São Paulo, which aims to represent the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.

The choice of Largo do Arouche as the venue for the March is a reference to Operation Tarantula,^[3] an operation launched in the 1980s that aimed to "remove" travestis from the area under the pretext of combating AIDS.^[4]

The struggle of travestis and transgender individuals has been one of the key contributors to the discourse on gender and sexuality.^[5] Marginalized, many Brazilian travestis and trans women are often expelled from their homes during adolescence. As a result, they also leave school, and with the loss of two fundamental pillars—family and education—the streets become their only option.^[6]

According to a 2017 survey conducted by the National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals (Antra), around 90% of trans women in Brazil turn to sex work as a means of survival.^[7] Those who manage to enter the formal job market still face prejudice, particularly when their chosen names are not respected.^[7]

In light of these complexities, the SSEX BBOX Institute recognized the need to shed light on and address the hardships faced by this segment of the LGBT community. While they are part of the broader LGBT+ Pride Parade, their specific needs and demands often go unaddressed and deserve a platform of their own.^[8]

Visibility, First Steps, and Impact

In January 2015, the São Paulo city government launched the Transcidadania program,^[9] one of the first public policies in the municipality aimed specifically at this population. More than just a milestone for the movement, the initiative also brought political and social visibility, paving the way for new and essential debates.

The Transcidadania Program is regulated by the Municipal Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship^[10] and aims to promote the reintegration of transgender women and men in vulnerable situations. It does so by supporting the completion of basic and secondary education through the Youth and Adult Education program (EJA), as well as offering professional training. From the outset, the program exposed several of the vulnerabilities faced by the trans population—such as high rates of family rejection, school dropout, forced prostitution, and unsupervised use of harmful substances like industrial silicone and hormones—which underscored the urgent need for such a policy.

In 2017, the efforts of Pri Bertucci and the SSEX BBOX Institute shed light on the complexities and challenges of uniting diverse voices and organizations within the trans and broader LGBTQIAP+ communities. The institute extended invitations to various influential groups and prominent figures in the trans movement, including Mães Pela Diversidade, ANTRA, and the Trans Network, among others, with the goal of forming a coalition of voices that could represent the unity and strength of the movement.^[2]

A partnership formed in 2018 with Van Marcelino as production director led to the first-ever Trans March, held in downtown São Paulo.^[2] It immediately became a powerful symbol of resistance and a celebration of trans identity. Featuring performances by renowned artists such as Johnny Hooker, Liniker, Mel, Pepita, Leonora Vingativa, MC Xuxu, Erika Hilton, and Erica Malunguinho, the March not only showcased the rich cultural tapestry of the trans community but also created a vital space for visibility and self-expression.

This march placed Brazil on the global map of Trans Marches—events held in cities around the world, typically two days before mainstream Pride parades, which often lean more commercial and focus primarily on the rights and citizenship of LGB individuals, frequently centered on white gay men.^[5]^[11]

Trans Marches are held as acts of protest and as assertions of space,^[12] calling attention to the historic exclusion of trans women, trans men, and non-binary individuals from dominant gender and sexuality narratives. These groups often face additional layers of oppression, particularly within the context of toxic and hegemonic masculinities that persist in society.

São Paulo Trans Pride March

Visibility, First Steps, and Impact

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