Danilo Tupinikim.
Geneva, July 17, 2025. 

Acesse a versão em Português do texto aqui!

 

Participating in the event “Strengthening 2SLGBTQIA+ Voices at the UN”, held at the Palais des Nations on July 15, was a deeply meaningful experience. This space was more than a discussion table — it was a symbolic territory of resistance, of welcome, and above all, of presence. We were there to affirm that our Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ lives matter and that we must be heard in global decisions that shape the future of our bodies and territories.

 

My activism arises from the intersection of the Indigenous movement and the 2SLGBTQIA+ movement, especially within the Brazilian context, where we face severe violence and persecution of Indigenous leaders, including 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous individuals. The reality we face, particularly in Brazil, demands urgency: we lead the global ranking of countries that kill the most 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and this violence also affects Indigenous peoples, brutally impacting youth, leaders, and dissident bodies.

 

 

Image/Personal archive: Danilo Tupinikim.

 

From this intersection, I act with the conviction that 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous identities not only exist — they resist. In many communities, gender-based violence and the marginalization of trans, lesbian, gay, and bisexual Indigenous people remain invisible, which intensifies rates of depression, suicide, and social exclusion. Gender identity and sexuality, when lived through an Indigenous worldview, are also ways of defending ancestral territories — of affirming an existence that is spiritual, political, and collective.

 

For this reason, internationalizing these issues is not only a survival strategy but also a political construction.

 

Bringing these matters to the UN is both an act of denunciation and proposition. It is a challenge to the meaning of universality in human rights by including voices that have historically been silenced. We emphasize the importance of intersectionality as a contribution to movements and the development of policies that address our realities — with 305 Indigenous peoples and multiple cultures, we are diversity at our core. Our perspective broadens the horizons of international debates by incorporating unique knowledge and lived experiences.

 

Alongside other leaders, we shared data and experiences that reveal a grim reality: 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous youth in Brazil are among the most vulnerable to suicide. Silencing and institutional violence push these young people to the margins, often without access to education, healthcare, or care policies. We need specific public policies and recognition by the State, but also international support and solidarity.

 

 

Image/Personal archive: Danilo Tupinikim.

 

I am inspired by the journeys of relatives who, even in the face of threats, continue to lead their communities. The defense of our bodies is also the defense of our territories — because body, land, and spirit are inseparable in the Indigenous worldview.

 

The event reinforced that strengthening the 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous presence at the UN is not just necessary — it is urgent. We must ensure safe spaces for speech, create mechanisms for direct participation, and listen to communities in their full diversity. As Member States and as the international community, it is essential that we recognize the urgency of protecting these lives and voices — with resources, with affirmative policies, with constant presence.

 

We remain committed to a struggle that is global but deeply rooted in our territories and local histories. A struggle for justice, recognition, and full life. And we do this with courage, ancestral memory, and the certainty that no future will be possible if our existences continue to be left behind.

 

 

 

Image/Personal archive: Danilo Tupinikim.

 

 

• 23/07/2025