Brazil: same-sex couples rush to the altar ahead of homophobic Bolsonaro’s inauguration

On the night of the Brazilian election, Bianca Gama cried as it became clear that the country’s next president would be Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician whose career has been marked by homophobia.

As the official result was announced, Gama’s girlfriend Priscilla Cicconi turned to her and said: «You were right. We should get married – before he takes office. Let’s do it».

Gama and Cicconi were not the only ones to make such a decision: faced with a homophobic president-elect with close alliances to evangelical and Catholic churches, LGBTQ people in Brazil are rushing to claim hard-earned rights such as marriage equality and name and gender changes.