Heat waves, droughts, floods. The climate crisis presented itself in different ways in Brazil in 2024 and reinforced the urgency of measures to protect the environment. Aware of the situation, organizers of the LGBTI+ Pride Parade in Rio de Janeiro are preparing a series of initiatives to transform the event on November 24th into a “Green Parade”.
The president of Grupo Arco-Íris and general coordinator of the parade, Cláudio Nascimento, explains the main measures designed for the event.
“We want to implement the Parada Verde Towards Zero Carbon project over a period of three years, between 2024 and 2026. Therefore, it is about putting into practice actions that can reduce the environmental impact that the event can cause”, says Cláudio. “At this year’s Parade we will also have ten tents providing environmental education to participants. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), workshops in public squares and on the beach. We understand that the first starting point is to educate the LGBT+ population and society in general about the importance of environmental sustainability.”
Almir França, professor, activist and fashion designer, is responsible for the scenographic part of the LGBTI+ Parade, and provides some details planned for the November event.
“We will have three electric trios designed based on the history of the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest. I will use scenographic elements to address environmental issues, but I may fall into contradiction if I am producing a series of waste without the correct destination. So, all of our scenography will be using material reuse. All the waste that we collected over the previous years will all be transformed into one big scene. And the waste produced in 2024 will serve as raw material for the next LGBT+ Parade or other Arco-Íris Group events”, explains Almir.
The urgency of the issue is so great that other measures are already being planned for the coming years.
“In 2025, we will also work towards the production of two electric trios within the logic of electrical energy and not fossil fuels. We will also calculate how much carbon was emitted and how many trees will be planted to compensate for the environmental damage caused by the event”, says Cláudio Nascimento.
Intersection of guidelines
It may seem strange that an event aimed at defending the demands of the LGBTI+ population addresses environmental issues. The organizers understand that specific agendas cannot be disconnected from other broader social problems.
“As much as the LGBT Parade is an amplifier of our citizenship agendas, our role is also to make intersectional agendas connected to human rights visible. In recent years, we have brought issues such as racism, misogyny and machismo, religious freedom. We understand that we are not isolated from other problems”, says Cláudio Nascimento.
“The LGBT+ movement, in its history, scandalizes issues that affect an entire society. Health issues and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, gender discussions and now, on the environmental issue, we need to pull this string again. Because we are the first to be swallowed when disasters happen, unless we are included in the rescue and care process”, adds Almir França.
There is, therefore, the understanding that certain social groups are more vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, as they are disadvantaged from an economic and sociocultural point of view.
“We also talk about environmental LGBTphobia. Our community will be affected differently, due to greater social vulnerability. When we analyze the number of unemployed people in Brazil, for example, the unemployment rate for transvestites and transsexuals is around 95%. And if it hits from an economic point of view, it hits from an environmental point of view”, says Cláudio. “That’s why we think that the LGBTQIA+ population can be an important part of the solution.”
