Professor and anthropologist LaShandra Sullivan has provided a new framework in which we can better understand Black LGBTI+ struggles, activism, and resilience in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In recent years, Brazil has seen significant increases in violence, especially against the Black, female LGBTI+ community. With the recent election of President Jair Bolsonaro, misogynistic and homophobic rhetoric has rapidly proliferated, thus promoting racist attitudes and hate crimes throughout the country. Sullivan eloquently described the term segurar to represent the practice that is characterized by ‘holding on and staying upright’; paving a pathway to one’s future endeavors. Notably, this notion of segurar is unevenly distributed throughout society, making staying afloat a challenging feat for some more so than others.

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On October 8th, LaShandra Sullivan presented her work on Black Queer Feminism and the Politics of Revelry as a part of a speaker series on Global Racism, State Violence, and Activism. Her talk emphasized practices of state sanctioned violence and racism in Brazil and the resulting activist movements, as she provided historical context, vignettes, and analysis to discuss the contemporary social and political situation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, specifically related to Black and LBGTQ+ people. The event began with the introduction of Audre Lorde’s idea of the erotic: satisfaction, power, and fulfillment brought about by moments of joy. For Sullivan, studying joy through Lorde’s context helped explain how people survive amidst inherently violent conditions. She discussed the assassination of Marielle Franco, a queer Black councilwoman known for her work in poor areas and shantytowns. Her murder resulted in extreme public outcry from certain quarters and drew attention to social movements and political activism in Rio de Janeiro. However, the focus of Sullivan’s talk was not the suffering nor structural inequality that exists within Brazilian society, but rather the communities that formed from these events and bonded through revelry.

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