Gilmara Cunha is a trans woman, founder and general coordinator of Grupo Conexão G, a non-governmental organization that works with the LGBT population living in favelas, and a militant in the LGBT movement. Gilmara is the first transsexual to receive the highest honor from the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Tiradentes Medal for her activism and her work in Grupo Conexão G.
1) Tell us a little about your life story. What led you to work with LGBT issues?
In my childhood I was a completely repressed child, because I already had something that guided me towards homosexuality. I suffered homophobia at school, at home, through friends and, because of this oppression, I then decided to take a step, which was joining the church. The objective was to repress my behavior, which, for our society, was not appropriate. I understood that to be respected in other spaces it was necessary to adapt to a completely macho, sexist and homophobic society. So I decided to join a fraternity called Toca de Assis. But there came a point in my youth, around 19 years old, when I found myself going a bit crazy in this process. Another two years passed, and I decided to leave that religious institution. While visiting the community, I discovered that Promundo was opening a project for young people, which was later established as JPEG – Young People for Gender Equality. During the JPEG, I witnessed several homophobic attitudes on the part of the participants. Promundo, realizing these conflicts, provided meetings with LGBT themes. Since then, we started working to raise awareness among the group, at the same time that I began to accept myself. I went through a training process at Grupo Arco-Íris and I began to identify myself, discover my paths and see that it was not an illness. Since then I started to create a movement within Promundo, with the desire to build a group that would discuss the issue of the LGBT population in favela territory. From then on, I and a few other friends from the Maré community began to form Grupo Conexão G.
2) You mentioned Promundo as one of the institutions that was part of your acceptance process, as a safe space. Tell us a little more about the importance of being in this space and what it can provide.
When I say safe space it's because at Promundo, the people who were involved in the project had a detailed look. When I say that I felt safe, I felt for the people and the institution who had this concern. Which captivated me more and more. If Conexão G and Promundo are able to work together today, this is a reflection of this relationship built. An equal relationship. Promundo places itself in the eyes and in the place of others. Whether he is talking to a leader or a favela institution, he is as equal as the other. In a way, we manage to build more and more bonds of partnership and companionship. I can see that there is a methodology being implemented at Promundo. Paulo Freire's methodology. You teach, but at the same time you learn. And this makes us increasingly comfortable in pleading and proposing projects in partnerships and building more and more things collectively. It's getting rid of this view that the favela is a space where you only harvest and, when you don't want it anymore, you leave and don't create a bond because you never had any commitment. I think that the biggest result of all that has been built is that today we are talking as equals. This is the greatest result of this transformation. Of who I was and who I am.
3) You identify as a trans woman. What do you think of the discussions that are emerging about transsexuality?
I can still see that there is a setback. For example, there was a report not long ago about the issue of the transsexualization process and one of the girls presented her identity card and said: “Now I have my social name.” But her male name remained there. So has there been a breakthrough? No, there wasn't. I consider that it is not a topic that is being discussed in depth yet. More profoundly, it is being discussed by the minority. But not for society as a whole. People are a little afraid to bring up this subject. To go deeper, to understand... People treat it as if it were something new, but this discussion has been going on for a long time in the LGBT social movement. And yet you can see some movements that do not want to discuss the issue of transvestism and transsexuality.
4) How is Conexão G’s work carried out? What do you take into account when mobilizing young people to address LGBT issues?
We seek to mobilize the LGBT population in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to build a political framework that represents these segments in the search for citizenship and equal rights. Since the creation of Conexão G, we have sought to assist in the creation of sub-poles that discuss LGBT issues in favelas.
In fact, what raises awareness is everyday contact with another person. The closest relationships are able to somehow make this transformation within each person. And this person ends up becoming an agent, promoter and a network is created where one sensitizes the other. Words will convince, but the gesture drags. If today we have this institution and other people who are supporters of the LGBT issue, this is already a transformation. So I always try to show in everyday life how much this partnership has changed and has changed people.
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