{"id":108,"date":"2014-04-23T03:21:06","date_gmt":"2014-04-23T03:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/library.brown.edu\/beyondcarnival\/?page_id=108"},"modified":"2016-06-20T17:18:29","modified_gmt":"2016-06-20T17:18:29","slug":"increased-opportunities-for-homosexual-interaction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/chapter-2\/increased-opportunities-for-homosexual-interaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Sex and Nightlife, 1920-1945"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the 1930s, <\/strong>Pra\u00e7a Tiradentes, Lapa, and Cinel\u00e2ndia had become important places in Rio where effeminate men gathered for homosocial relations, including finding sexual partners with homens<\/em> (“real men”). Significant population growth, a renewal of downtown Rio from the turn of the century on, and increased urban anonymity provided increased public space for homosexual activities.<\/p>\n

The southernmost neighborhood<\/strong>\u00a0of the city’s homosexual topography was\u00a0Cinel\u00e2ndia, at the time the epicenter of Brazilian high culture. While the Municipal Theatre is perhaps the neighborhood’s most recognizable landmark, the nearby movie houses became popular venues for discreet homosexual encounters.<\/p>\n

\"7741873282_b138377706\"<\/a>

The Municipal Theatre today<\/p><\/div>\n

\"1919_Cinelandia\"<\/a>

View of Cinel\u00e2ndia square in 1919. The monument to Floriano Peixoto is in the foreground. The Municipal Theatre is to the left.<\/p><\/div>\n

The working-class neighborhood of Lapa\u00a0<\/strong>lay between Cinel\u00e2ndia and Pra\u00e7a Tiradentes, and its several boardinghouses offered more privacy for intimate homosexual interactions. Moreover, its bohemian reputation created a more inviting environment for men seeking sex with other men. Despite this perceived nonchalance, Lapa’s homosexual residents and visitors routinely encountered discrimination in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\"arcos-da-lapa-1925\"<\/a>

The cultural center of Lapa<\/p><\/div>\n

\"35\"<\/a>

Lapa in the early 1900s<\/p><\/div>\n

Jo\u00e3o Francisco dos Santos,<\/strong>\u00a0one of Lapa’s most well-known residents, became famous in the 1930s for his brazen, belligerent personality and his unapologetic demeanor. Born in poverty to a family of ex-slaves, Jo\u00e3o lived a life similar to those of many young, homosexual migrants who moved to Rio from the Northeast and the countryside. Better known as the drag performer Madame Sat\u00e3 (Madame Satan), Jo\u00e3o’s folk-figure status stems from his uncommon willingness to defend himself from discrimination by any means necessary.<\/p>\n

In 2002,\u00a0Brazilian director Karim A\u00efnouz told dos Santos’s story in the film\u00a0Madame Sat\u00e3<\/em>, which\u00a0premiered at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.\u00a0Below is the film’s trailer (in Portuguese).\u00a0The following link contain’s the\u00a0New York Times’ review<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Madame Sat\u00e3<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In S\u00e3o Paulo<\/strong>, men who desired sex with other men also enjoyed expanded options for “cruising.” Below are several images of popular sites for Paulistano\u00a0men to meet other men for sex in the 1930s.<\/p>\n

\"Pra\u00e7a<\/a>

Pra\u00e7a da Rep\u00fablica<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Parque<\/a>

Parque Anhangaba\u00fa<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Jardim<\/a>

Jardim da Luz<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Esta\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>

Esta\u00e7\u00e3o da Luz<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In Recife, Pernambuco<\/strong>, Jo\u00e3o Ferreira da Paz became enamored with the Hollywood actress Kay Francis. The introduction of cinema to Brazilian cultural life provided an outlet for homosexual men to escape daily life and find inspiration in the lives of others. In the late 1930s, Ferreira da Paz built a persona around Kay Francis and performed as the drag-version of her at every possible occasion. According to Ferreira da Paz, Francis was so inspirational because she managed to remain elegant and glamorous despite her suffering.<\/p>\n

INSERT PICTURE OF JO\u00c3O AS KAY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By the 1930s, Pra\u00e7a Tiradentes, Lapa, and Cinel\u00e2ndia had become important places in Rio where effeminate men gathered for homosocial relations, including finding sexual partners with homens (“real men”). Significant population growth, a renewal of downtown Rio from the turn of the century on, and increased urban anonymity provided increased public space for homosexual activities. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"parent":50,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-108","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108\/revisions\/376"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/50"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/beyondcarnival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}