RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – To celebrate the important date in the fight against prejudice, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through the Special Coordination for Sexual Diversity (CEDS-Rio) together with the Municipal Department of Social Assistance and Human Rights (SMASDH), will inaugurate a hotel at 11 AM today, June 28th, in the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro with 50 places for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals in situations of homelessness and social vulnerability, particularly those victims of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The opening ceremony will be hosted by the Municipal Secretary of Social Assistance, Tia Ju, and the Special Coordinator of Sexual Diversity, Nélio Georgini. In addition to living in the hotel, located at Rua Tenente Possolo, 49, residents will be entitled to daily meals.
On this occasion, the first 12 residents of the CPA4 shelter, which will operate in partnership with the Luana Muniz care center – named after the transvestite Luana Muniz, who developed social work in Lapa and sheltered transvestites and transgender people in a mansion for decades – will be introduced to the new space dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community.
“The shelter with spaces for the LGBTQ+ public comes at one of the most critical moments, economically speaking. We are working with Social Assistance and Tia Ju to make it a permanent opportunity for these people who need support. We know that incidents of violence have increased during the pandemic. It was already difficult for transgender people to get jobs in the formal market because sadly, there is still a lot of discrimination. Faced with the Covid-19 crisis we are experiencing, this group was also hit hard”, Nélio points out.
Since taking over the portfolio, Tia Ju has sought partnerships with the CEDS to provide a differentiated service to the LGBTQ+ population living in a situation of social vulnerability.
“Our approach teams have already provided various services to the homeless LGBTQ+ population, offering shelter, and all the necessary assistance. The difference is that they will now have a welcoming space aimed solely for them, with a team specifically trained to assist them. This adds more dignity to the hosted who deserve all our care and attention. I am sure that many will accept our hospitality from now on,” says Tia Ju.
On Friday, June 26th, the Rio Star, the largest Ferris wheel in Latin America, located in the city’s Port Zone, announced that on Sunday and also in celebration of the date, it will fly a personalized flag with the colors of the rainbow, which will be displayed on the wheel’s static portion throughout the morning.
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