(Re)defining The Activist Occupation: Identity, Intersectionality, and LGBT Activism in Salvador da Bahia

Abstract

Salvador da Bahia is known for being home to the oldest running LGBT organization in Brazil, but the activism in the city is not limited to formal routes of LBGT activism. By analyzing interviews, ethnographic observations, and current events, this study explores how academia, language, the body, and the internet become alternate spaces for activism. Highlighting how race, gender, and sexuality intersect in activists’ lives, it becomes clear that for many, people’s intersecting identities encourage them to serve as activists in diverse ways that contribute to the overall atmosphere of social change in the city.