Rio de Janeiro

Part One: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an overview

Rio de Janeiro represents a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and urban attractions; all of which stand out on the global stage. The Guanabara Bay became a region of business, trade, and commerce in the mid sixteenth century, sparking the birth of Rio’s existence as an industrial force. Colonization, migration, and the African diaspora helped to manifest the presence of African blood in Rio’s diverse demographic population. The overall ethnic makeup of Rio’s population includes European descent, African descent, and Mestizo descent. 

Governance under President Jair Bolsonaro contributes to a contentious political climate in Rio and has sparked uncertainty of Brazil’s standing as a democracy. Economically, the city of Rio generates capital and benefits from tourism, sugar-cane production, and oil companies. Rio’s social classes are divided into five separate sectors depending on education level and financial income; this ranges from those who have completed higher education to those who have not completed the most basic educational requirements (elementary school). Rio de Janeiro’s workforce consists of business owners, professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, business managers, mechanics, street cleaners, and sex workers; a very wide spectrum of employment categories. Typically in Rio, the job profession correlates to the level of education completed. 

What categorizes Rio as a unique city in Latin America is its topographic makeup, its culture, and its position in globally renowned sporting events (2016 Olympics and 2014 World Cup). Rio’s beaches, mountains, and urban public spaces attract millions of people each year (pre-COVID) making it one of the top cities visited in the Southern Hemisphere. Possibly the biggest festival in the world – Carnival – is the embodiment of Rio de Janeiro’s  most vibrant culture in the form of extravagant costumes, eclectic foods, street activities, shows, and parade celebrations. Rio’s cultural impact is so effective that it feeds the media’s supply of entertainment. Disney’s smash hit film Rio (2011) depicts only a fraction of the glorious cultural atmosphere Rio de Janeiro has to offer in comparison to experiencing it for oneself.

Part 2 Character Overview: 

 Elena and Bianca, two sex workers who share a room in a communal house with other sex workers. Elena is a 24-year-old cisgender woman who is a single mother of two, her 4-year-old son, Sebastian, and her newborn, Rosa. Elena uses sex work to afford health insurance and private education for her children (De Lisio). She lives in the city because that is where she can find the most work in her industry, as the city, pre-COVID, had a bustling nightlife, full of businessmen and tourists at nighttime. The city has more people who request her services, and it also allows her to care for her children during most of the day in her small room that she shares, and work mostly at night. She is able to switch off putting the children to bed and working with her roommate. Bianca is a 20-year-old trans woman, who moved to the city to find a trans community and also to work. Since Bianca is trans and has a lack of documentation, her job prospects were limited. She is part of the 90% of trans women who are sex workers in Rio (Lopez). Within sex work, she has been able to find other trans women to connect with, as well as accepting cisgender people, such as Elena. Bianca loves kids and has been more than happy to help Elena with Sebastian and Rosa, as she understands how hard it can be to balance being a mother and being a sex worker. With both her gender identity and the work she does, Bianca is thankful to be far away from her hometown so people do not recognize her, as being trans in Brazil can be very dangerous. Elena and Bianca are happy to have each other and their friendship as sex work becomes more dangerous and limited with COVID and both of their financial situations are tight. 

Politically, Elena is unsure of Bolsonaro. She appreciates that he is giving out emergency aid because of COVID, but is frustrated that it is such a low amount and that Bianca is unable to access it (Lopez). She also dislikes the concerning rhetoric he spouts concerning sex work and the LGBTQ+ community (Faiola, Londoño, Yeung). She tries to be politically active, but moderately. She wants a better life for her kids, as well as for trans people like Bianca, but also feels the need to stay safe to ensure that she can actually be there to care for her children. Her family background is somewhat conservative, as her family worries for her safety at work but in general supports Bolsonaro. Bianca has much more concrete opinions. She despises Bolsonaro because of his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, especially his homophobic and transphobic statements and policies (Ngangura, Basciano, Faiola). She does not usually participate in public activism unless she deems it absolutely necessary, due to fear of violence for being a trans woman, but is a passionate activist in the online sphere for changing public opinion on the LGBTQ+ community and fighting for increased rights. While she was raised in a conservative Catholic home, she left home after realizing her gender identity and coming to the understanding that her family would be unsupportive. She has since educated herself on other schools of political thought and come into much more liberal and self-affirming political views. 

Getting around Rio can be tricky for both women, as Elena has to ensure she can safely travel with her children in tow, and Bianca has to navigate the city with her gender identity in mind. Elena chooses to use the bus, though it is more expensive. She used it predominantly pre-COVID in order to bring her daughter and son with her on errands and to take Sebastian to school. It is much better for transporting her children than, say, attempting to ride a bike. She also occasionally travels by foot through the streets to meet clients, similar to Bianca. Bianca tends to avoid public transportation and instead travels by bike. Biking is far cheaper to afford in comparison to paying bus fare or metro fare, and it is also safer for her, as she has faced discrimination and harrassment for being trans on public transportation before (Basciano). She only uses the bus or metro if she needs to travel further away. She also often moves through the streets of the city by foot for meeting clients. In general, Bianca is often exhausted and frustrated that she has to put so much thought into transportation just to ensure her physical safety as a trans woman.

Part 3 Comparison of Pre and Post Urban Living Pre COVID-19

In this section, we describe the issues that the character (s) faced before covid-19. We then discuss how Covid-19 impacted the character (s).

Q: What was life like for you both before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world? 

A:Well first, when viewing our window from down on the street, you would see that the curtains were closed the majority of the time to maintain privacy while entertaining clients. When traveling through the city, we traveled by feet when working. Outside of work since we both earn a low income, Elena uses the bus even though it’s more expensive as it is easier to travel with the children by bus. Bianca travels through the city by bike as much as she could since it is more cost effective and safer for her as a trans woman. In the sex work house we live in, us two and the kids all share one room which is very cramped and the communal spaces aren’t well maintained or cleaned often. Sex work doesn’t pay much, but we try to get as much business as they can to provide for ourselves and the children. 

Q: How has your life changed after the pandemic has impacted the world?

A:  Now we like to keep the curtains to our room open so Sebastian can look outside while doing his online school work and we take turns helping him with school and taking care of Rosa. When we get a chance to leave the house, not much changed for me (Bianca) as I already traveled through the city by bike before the pandemic. As for me (Elena), I travel by foot with my children because I am afraid the busses won’t be safe. Both of us are very concerned about COVID-19 spreading throughout the house as we are in a communal living situation. Since it is very hard to see people, doing sex work is practically impossible which is leaving us in a rough financial situation. We hope that once it is safe to do so, that Rio’s bustling nightlife will return and we can get back to work. 

Q: What changes in urban design would help your everyday lives?

A: (Elena) I think an increased access to childcare, low income housing, and ensuring low cost and safe public transportation for starters. (Bianca) Also, I fully support state funding for LGBTQ+ safe houses, specifically for transgender people and sexworkers due to my personal experience of being evicted from my home for being trans. I think there should be better access to trans healthcare, and systems in place to help trans people get documentation so they can access things like welfare programs and safely travel. Lastly, improving political rhetoric around LGBTQ+ relationships and identities is important to ensuring my safety in public and to get these kinds of urban design and public policy measures passed into laws. In public spaces, also degendering areas like public restrooms or anything else of that variety. The ability to access platforms or get in touch with other people who share the similar political and social views is important to me, as right now I am afraid to speak out publicly for fear of violence against me or the people I love. For both of us, much of the urban design and public policy changes that would improve our lives focus on the employment sector we are a part of: destigmatizing sex work would be a great social change. Since we are sex workers, it is a lot easier to find sex work oportunities in large cities as there is more nightlife. Keeping public areas open and safe would encourage our employment. One of the biggest concerns for both of us is having a place to live, more low-income housing in the city would be helpful. Sex-work, while semi-legal in Brazil, can still be very dangerous. We would like regulation that puts power in the hands of the actual workers and required benefits/safety measures. Lastly, we wish brothels were fully legal so that the sex workers who work in them do not have to worry about potential arrest.

PART 1 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Carvalho, B. (2013). Porous City: A Cultural History of Rio de Janeiro. Liverpool University Press.Chibba, Michael. “Political economy and democracy in Brazil under Bolsonaro.” Open Democracy. June 19th, 2020. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/political-economy-and-democracy-brazil/ 

Conde, Maite. Consuming Visions: Cinema, Writing, and Modernity in Rio de Janeiro. University of Virginia Press, 2012.

Gelber, David. “Origins of RIO.” History Today, vol. 66, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp. 10–19. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,athens,shib&db=a9h&AN=117768638&site=ehost-live&scope=site. 

Manchester, Alan K. “The Recognition of Brazilian Independence.” The Hispanic American Historical Review, vol. 31, no. 1, 1951, pp. 80–96. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2509132.

McCoy, Terrence. “The coronavirus has hammered Brazil. But somehow, Bolsonaro is getting more popular.” The Washington Post. August 24, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazil-bolsonaro-coronavirus/2020/08/24/47a22cf6-e17a-11ea-8dd2-d07812bf00f7_story.html 

Nes, Egil Fujikawa. “Social Classes in Brazil.” The Brazil Business. 26 January 2016, https://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/social-classes-in-brazil-1453802521

“Olympic Legacy? Rio urban planner, report raise questions.” The Associated Press. December 15, 2015.  https://apnews.com/article/482ef7e9b2ba4b5d9f334e93d65a3d9f  

“Rio de Janeiro Economy.” riodejaneiro.com, https://www.riodejaneiro.com/v/economy/

Souza, Flavia de, et al. “Modelling the Potential for Cycling in Access Trips to Bus, Train and Metro in Rio De Janeiro.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Pergamon, 29 July 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920916304734?casa_token=q8Ce2oivjOsAAAAA%3Alwv_HttYTzakAqJd4n2s7PvfDotX3Seyv6r8LI33C2UZ3re5dxnw9Q0L3xh95UwGCq0B98GPTQ.

PART 2 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anthony Faiola, Marina Lopes. “LGBT Rights Threatened in Brazil under New Far-Right President.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Feb. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/lgbt-rights-under-attack-in-brazil-under-new-far-right-president/2019/02/17/b24e1dcc-1b28-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html. 

Basciano, Oliver. “’We’re afraid’: the queer Brazilian sex artists targeted by Bolsonaro.” The Guardian, 24 June 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/24/queer-art-in-age-of-bolsonaro-ediy-performance-porn-far-right

De Lisio, Amanda. “After the Olympics: Stories from Rio’s Sex Workers.” The Conversation, The Conversation, 12 May 2019, https://theconversation.com/after-the-olympics-stories-from-rios-sex-workers-73555

Londoño, Ernesto and Letícia Casado. “Brazil Under Bolsonaro Has Message for Teenagers: Save Sex for Marriage.” The New York Times, 26 Jan. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/world/americas/brazil-teen-pregnancy-Bolsonaro.html

Lopez, Oscar, and Fabio Teixeira. “As Latin America Locks down, Trans Sex Workers Struggle to Survive.” Reuters, Reuters, 24 Apr. 2020, uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-transgender-featur-idUSKCN22613

Ngangura, Tarisai.  “In Brazil, a LGBTQ Sex Worker’s Struggle to Survive.” Rolling Stone, 14 August 2019, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/brazil-sex-work-lgbtq-jair-bolsonaro-857050/

Penner, Andre. “Brazilian transgender dancer shatters Carnival parade taboo.” NBC, 22 Feb. 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/brazilian-transgender-dancer-shatters-carnival-parade-taboo-n1142461

Rottinghuis, Kees, et al. “‘Casa Nem’ in Copacabana Is Sanctuary for Rio’s Transgender and LGBT.” The Rio Times, The Rio Times, 7 Nov. 2019, riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/nosubscription/casa-nem-on-copacabana-is-a-sanctuary-for-rios-transgender-and-lgbt/

Teixeira, Fabio. “Brazilian Police Takes Down Trafficking Ring Targeting Trans Women.” Thompson Reuters Foundation News, news.trust.org/item/20190313200757-ox2ur/.

Teixeira, Fabio. “I Spent Seven Months Inside Brazil’s Most Notorious Red Light District.” Vice, 30 September 2017, https://www.vice.com/en/article/4w54jw/vila-mimosa-brazil-fbio-teixeira-photos-876

Yeung, Peter. “In Bolsonaro’s Brazil, sex workers are in serious danger ‘Some of us will die.’” Huck Mag, 12 December 2019, https://www.huckmag.com/perspectives/reportage-2/in-bolsonaros-brazil-sex-workers-are-in-serious-danger/

PART 3 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lopez, Oscar, and Fabio Teixeira. “As Latin America Locks down, Trans Sex Workers Struggle to Survive.” Reuters, Reuters, 24 Apr. 2020, uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-transgender-featur-idUSKCN22613

Phillips, Dom and Ian Cheibub. “’If I don’t have sex I’ll die of hunger’: Covid-19 crisis for Rio’s trans sex workers.” The Guardian, 21 May 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/21/if-i-dont-have-sex-ill-die-of-hunger-covid-19-crisis-for-rios-trans-sex-workers

Rottinghuis, Kees, et al. “‘Casa Nem’ in Copacabana Is Sanctuary for Rio’s Transgender and LGBT.” The Rio Times, The Rio Times, 7 Nov. 2019, riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/nosubscription/casa-nem-on-copacabana-is-a-sanctuary-for-rios-transgender-and-lgbt/

Teixeira, Fabio. “Brazilian Police Takes Down Trafficking Ring Targeting Trans Women.” Thompson Reuters Foundation News, news.trust.org/item/20190313200757-ox2ur/.

Souza, Flavia de, et al. “Modelling the Potential for Cycling in Access Trips to Bus, Train and Metro in Rio De Janeiro.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Pergamon, 29 July 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920916304734?casa_token=q8Ce2oivjOsAAAAA

Authors:

Lillie J.

Rachel

Robin