By JULIAN RODRIGUES*
Pigossi's outburst, in addition to being moving, reveals a person willing to engage in the collective struggle and must be respected
On November 26, 2021, the former global player, the handsome and talented actor Marcos Pigossi, posted a photo on Insta with his Italian boyfriend, and even sealed it in the caption: “shocking zero people”. Living in the USA, Pigossi can be seen in the very interesting Netflix series, Invisible city. Super positive repercussion the coming out of the closet of an actor with a trajectory of "heartthrob". One more brick in the fight.
The magazine Piaui now bring a beautiful Pigossi's testimonial interview. He recounts his life trajectory in a sincere, politicized and moving way. Your internal conflicts. Your weaknesses, doubts. How he feared spoiling his acting career at Globo, as a “heartthrob”, if he publicly assumed his sexuality.
Pigossi's outburst, in addition to being moving, reveals a person willing to engage in the collective struggle. He recognizes and praises every action of the LGBTI movement, and sort of sets himself up as a soldier in the battle against gender and sexual oppression.
Ah, but here comes “lacrolândia”. Instead of congratulating the actor and calling him to concrete engagement in the social movement, the group comes to question the fact that Pigossi is a white, upper-middle-class, cisgender person. As if that made her suffering any less.
Even worse: we saw “critical” posts with zero empathy and political notions (and in the case, of many, the desire to surf the wave of others to gain clicks).
The group that wants to appear radical, but only “militates in the networks”. Middle-class white gay men wanting to be “politically correct”, problematizing the coming out of the middle-class white gay man.
But, what about the trans? What about black people?? And the lesbians?? Wow, they are all victims of racist, sexist and cis-heteronormative capitalism. What does Pigossi have to do with it?
How many of these so-called “radicals” on social media are nothing more than “progressive neoliberals” (Nancy Fraser) who have never appeared in an organizational meeting, neither of the LGBTI movement nor of the black movement, nor of any leftist party? Menas, well menas.
Anyone who thinks that pointing the finger at individuals helps to improve the system is completely wrong. Even more so if the individual in question has just done something beautiful, progressive, tells his pain and is willing to help a collective cause.
Stop judging other people's pain and hierarchizing oppression. The battle for racial and gender equality, sexual freedoms and human rights needs to win the hearts and minds of all. A transformation program is anti-neoliberal, anti-patriarchal, anti-racist. In defense of all freedoms, sexual and reproductive rights.
It is a struggle for all workers and oppressed people. Including middle-class cisgender whites. We want to change the world. Do not point out who is more or less “privileged”. The working class is plural. And the middle class is fundamental in the process of social transformation. Pointing fingers at people and judging who individually had or did not have “privileges” is narrow, wrong, and does not help at all.
“Workers of the world, unite”. (this includes men and women, cis and trans, black and white, progressive middle class and even bourgeois sectors at first). More generosity. More focus. Less navel.
A kiss to Marcos Pigossi Welcome to the fight.
* Julian Rodrigues, professor and journalist, is an LGBTI and human rights activist.
