STREETSMART - Top 10 Rio de Janeiro - page 102

Left Gay Pride Parade Right Gay flag at Ipanema beach

Gay and Lesbian Rio

! Acceptance

Copacabana beaches. The
00 (see p47) club attracts
a sophisticated party
crowd and The Week
nightclub is always
packed. d 00 (Zero Zero):
Map L4; Av Padre Leonel
Franca 240, Gávea; (021)
2540 8041 • The Week:
Map K4; Rua Sacadura
Cabral 154; [phone]
% Le Boy

parade takes place on
Carnaval Saturday and
Tuesday. d Map P5
• Praça General Osório,
Ipanema
* Drag Queens

Rio may seem liberal
and open-minded but,
like the rest of Brazil, it is
conservative at heart.
Homophobic jokes are
considered acceptable by
many Cariocas. Attitudes
to gay men and women
in Copacabana and
Ipanema are far more
enlightened than they are
in the city center or in
the rest of Rio state.

The city has long had
its own unique cross-
dressing scene, which
draws on imagery from
uniquely Carioca gay
icons, like Carmen
Miranda. It comes to the
fore at Carnaval time
with florid costumes and
enormous head-dresses.
One of Rio's most
famous historical
celebrities, João
Francisco dos Santos, or
“Madame Satã , was a
drag queen in the 1920s.
( Gala Gay at Scala

Carnaval Ball
The popular Le Boy disco
hosts a colorful gay ball
during Carnaval. The
venue is known for its
pounding mix of samba
and club music and
dance shows from go-go
boys. d Map Q6 • Rua
Raul Pompeia 102,
Copacabana • (021) 2513
4993 • Adm • www.leboy.
com.br

@ On the Beach The Farme Gay

beach, a stretch of
Ipanema beach, is the
favorite daytime meeting
place for Rio's gay and
lesbian community. Look
for the rainbow flag,
which is displayed with
pride by beach vendors in
the area. Party promoters
often distribute flyers
here. d Map N6
£ On the Street

This wonderfully
colorful, over-the-top
Carnaval ball is the
biggest event on the
Rio de Janeiro gay
and lesbian calendar. It
takes place on Carnaval
Tuesday and is packed
with Rio celebrities. The
event is televised both
nationally and globally.
d Map L5 • Av Afrânio de
Melo Franco 296 • (021)
2239 4448 • Adm
) Publications and

^ Gay Pride Parade The mid-October Gay

Pride Parade attracts as
many as a million visitors
to Rio. It starts at lunch-
time on Copacabana and
moves along the beach,
spilling over into neigh-
boring Ipanema and
Leblon and finishing up
in Leme. There are many
accompanying events.
d www.riogayparade.com
& Banda de Ipanema

Rua Teixeira de Melo
and its adjacent streets
are the hub for gays and
lesbians in Ipanema
come early evening.
You'll find an eclectic
crowd here, circulating
between cafés and clubs
like Galeria and Dama de
Ferro. d Galeria Café: Map
P5; Rua Teixeira de Melo
31; [phone] •
Dama de Ferro: Map N5
Rua Vinícius de Moraes
228; [phone]
$ Nightlife

Websites
Brazil has no publications
that cater solely to the
gay and lesbian
community. However, the
website www.ipanema.
com has a useful gay and
lesbian directory section
and a small amount of
general information.

This parade is one of
the best blocos of
Carnaval (see p40) . It
attracts a wonderfully
mixed crowd, from drag
queens, transsexuals,
and general gay revelers
to straight couples and
families with kids. The

There are plenty of
gay-friendly clubs and
bars in Rio - especially
around Ipanema and

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