SotA Anthology 2020-21 | Page 87

( Lambert , 2017 , pp . 134-136 ). She states in the documentary , “ There is no way you can leave the body aside . But it cannot be just about the body .” Body is vital , but it is not everything , since that would signify biology is what dictates our identity . So Laerte defends your uterus or penis are not your destiny and instead “ part of a complex negotiation .” Similar to Lambert , she takes the position that queer identity is not solely about your physical traits and appearance .
Meu Amigo Claúdia goes further into Lambert ’ s argument that queer identities are fluid and subject to change . Claudia Wonder rejects the gendered performance , and states she does not see herself as a woman or man – she is a travesti . She questions why she has to look straight and cisgender , “ Why do I have to look like a woman ? (…) Why can ’ t I be a transvestite ? Why can ’ t I be two-in-one ?” She believes she was born a man , was never supposed to be born a woman , but as she got older she “ started choosing [ her ] identity ,” becoming Claudia Wonder , and though she rejects
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being called by her birth name , she does not want to label herself as just one thing , saying “ I am a man and I am a woman . I am both .” She is queer because her gender is fluid , not fixed on one definition .
Queer culture is , very much , connected to acts of rebellion , defiance and embracing “ otherness .” This is naturally reflected onto queer film , being one of its prevalent characteristics ( Getsy , 2016 ). We can see this in Meu Amigo Claudia as Wonder recalls standing up to the police in her youth , unafraid in her spontaneous shout , “ Arresting fags is easy ! But nobody goes into the slums to fight armed thieves !” Linn da Quebrada , in Bixa Travesty , embraces her “ otherness ” and both her music and stage presence evoke provocation against society . Laerte is using her comic strips and comical discourse to talks about trans issues , and has started her own institution for trans women in 2012 – ABRAT . Activism performed by artists has taken over Brazilian queer spaces .
In Colling ( 2018 ) he points
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