Since When Is Brazil The New Iran?

Just read the news today that 27-year-old Brazilian Augusto Pereira de Souza has been granted legal asylum in the United States claiming persecution and harassment in his homeland because of his homosexuality.

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Having lived in New York for several years, I do understand that people sometimes will do whatever they can to become legal residents of the US, but what I don't understand is how the US government let this one pass, and how Augusto Pereira de Souza's lawyers were able to make a case for granting legal asylum to someone who comes from the country with the biggest Gay Pride parade in the world. I am not saying by any means that Brazil is the most liberal country in the world when it comes to gay rights, but we are certainly not Iran or Uganda. And please correct me if I am wrong, but how much safer in terms of hate crimes is Augusto Pereira de Souza going to be in Newark as opposed to in São Paulo? As a gay man living in Brazil, I have to admit that at a certain level I am offended with the grounds on which Mr. de Souza was allowed to stay in the US.

In his defense, Mr. de Souza released an official statement: "I lived in constant panic in Brazil. I tried to hide that my homosexuality, but the attacks and threats were constant. At the time (I lived in Brazil), I have been attacked by skinheads and brutally beat up by the police. After you've been threatened by the police, you become aware that there is no one there to protect you, so coming the live in US was a matter of life or death for me." Because that sort of stuff never happens in the US, right?

Via Dolado.

Camila Alves, Lindsay And Paris In Rio, And Gays In The Army

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  • In São Paulo for Beyoncé's concert tomorrow? Then make sure to stop by Galeria Mezanino in Jardins to check out the exhibit A Vida Até Parece Uma Festa, on display until February 20.
  • Beyoncé almost fell on stage in Floripa.
  • How hot did Camila Alves look at the premiere of season 3 of Shear Genius this week? I am not the biggest fan of the show, but I can already tell this season will be much better than the two previous ones with Orlando Pita on board and Camila's Brazilian accent.
  • Paris Hilton has been preparing for Carnival in Rio by taking samba lessons.
  • Someone wasn't invited to the shows in New York: Lindsay Lohan is also going to Rio for Carnival.
  • Three mash ups to get you ready for Carnival next week: Lady Gaga vs. Paulinho da Costa, Daft Punk vs. Sergio Mendes and Ke$ha vs. Mocidade.
  • Watch the making of the 2010 Pirelli Calendar shot in Trancoso.
  • General Cerqueira Filho is making headlines after claiming that gay soldiers are not capable of being in command in the Army, and suggesting that gay men should not be allowed to join the Armed Forces. He was appointed to head the Supreme Military Court this past Wednesday.

The First Gay School In The Country Opens In March

With public funding approved by the Ministry of Culture and the government of São Paulo, the NGO E-Jovem will be opening the first gay school in the country in Campinas this coming March. The idea is to provide a safe place for homosexual teenagers to express themselves, while also learning and promoting gay culture.

The school will offer free extracurricular courses on dancing, TV and web, and editorial production of fanzines. Dozens of students, homosexual and heterosexual, have already applied for the courses this year, which will all be taught by volunteers selected by E-Jovem. A drag queen course and other programs are already in the works for next year.

I don't know what your feelings are about the subject, but I love the project and hope that it proves to be very successful in Campinas so that other cities may follow.

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Via O Globo Online. For more information about the project, visit E-Jovem.

Vogue Italia, Alessandra Ambrósio, Camila Alves, And The Grammys

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  • Here is the twitter-themed Vogue Italia December cover everyone is talking about.
  • Alessandra Ambrósio shares her top ten tips to bag a man by Christmas. Yet another reason to love her.
  • Shear Genius will be back in February with Camila Alves as the new host and Orlando Pita as the new mentor.
  • The official line up for the January fall shows in Rio has been released.
  • Vik Muniz, Obra Completa 1987-2009, a catalog raisonné on the work of the artist featuring over 1,600 images, will be released on December 17 at Shopping Cidade Jardim in São Paulo.
  • DJ Samantha Ronson will be spinning at Cine Veneza in Rio on December 18.
  • Têtu has uploaded pictures of Rodrigo Calazans.
  • Francisco Lachowsky by Massimo Pamparana.
  • Beyoncé topped the nominations for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, with ten total nods, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.  Also up for the top three categories are Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Taylor Swift has eight nominations, followed by Kanye West, The Black Eyed Peas, and Maxwell, with six nominations each.
  • Check out Blabbeando and Towleroad for coverage of last night's rally for marriage equality in New York. There is another rally scheduled for tonight in Union Square.

Lorenzo Martone, Adriana Lima, Jesus Luz, And Video Phone

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  • Lorenzo Martone and former Elite marketing director Ryan Brown launched ARC NY last night in SoHo. ARC NY is a boutique talent PR agency just for models, and has already signed Brazilians Alessandra Ambrósio and Fernanda Motta, the host of Brazil's Next Top Model.
  • Go behind the scenes at the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Awards.
  • It looks like Isabeli Fontana got highlights.
  • Alessandra Ambrósio, Emanuela de Paula, Izabel Goulart, Caroline Trentini, Ana Beatriz Barros, Flávia de Oliveira, and Isabeli Fontana have been confirmed for this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show. Adriana Lima will not be strutting in lingerie this year because she just had a baby girl this past Sunday.
  • Rumor has it that Jesus Luz will be the new face (and body) of Brazilian underwear label Mash.
  • The controversy about Adam Lambert on the cover of the latest issue of OUT magazine.
  • A breakdown of Beyoncé's looks in the Video Phone video, which just so happens to be all about that cameo by Lady Gaga.
  • Here is the making of video of the story from the latest issue of ffw Mag! which I posted yesterday, courtesy of make-up artist Ricardo dos Anjos. (Warning: possibly nsfw)

Madonna, Lady Gaga, A Fazenda, And The 2009 Miss Brazil Gay

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