Míriam Martinho facts for kids

Míriam Martinho (born 1954) is a famous feminist and writer from Brazil. She is known as one of the most important voices in the fight for women's rights and LGBT rights in her country.

Martinho was one of the first people to openly connect the fight for women's rights with the rights of lesbians. She started one of the first lesbian-feminist groups in Brazil. She is also famous for a protest she organized with Rosely Roth in 1983. This event is sometimes called the "Brazilian Stonewall" because it was a major moment for LGBT rights in Brazil.

A Pioneer for Equality

Míriam Martinho was born in 1954 in Rio de Janeiro and grew up in São Paulo. She became a key figure in two important movements in Brazil: the feminist movement and the movement for homosexual rights.

Fighting for Women's Rights

The feminist movement in Brazil grew stronger in the 1970s. Feminists wanted to focus on issues of gender equality. Martinho was a big part of this. In 1979, she started a group called Grupo Lésbico-Feminista (Lesbian-Feminist Group).

In 1981, some members of this group, including Martinho and her friend Rosely Roth, formed a new group. It was called Grupo Ação Lésbica-Feminista (GALF), which means Lesbian-Feminist Action Group. GALF became a very active and important organization.

To share their ideas, Martinho started a newspaper in 1981 called "...com...". It was the first journal in Brazil to say that lesbians should be an important part of the feminist movement. At the time, this was a very new and bold idea.

The "Brazilian Stonewall"

The newspaper "...com..." led to a famous event. On August 19, 1983, a bar in São Paulo called Ferro's Bar stopped Martinho from selling the newspaper inside. The bar was a popular spot for lesbians.

In response, Martinho and Rosely Roth organized a peaceful protest. They gathered artists, writers, and lawyers to stand up against the ban. The protest got a lot of attention from the news. It showed people that lesbians were willing to fight openly for their rights. Because of this protest, the event became known as the "Brazilian Stonewall," a turning point for LGBT rights in the country.

Later Work

In the 1990s, Martinho began working to improve healthcare for women, especially for lesbians. She pointed out that many women did not feel safe telling their doctors about their lives, which could affect their health.

In 2003, she wrote a report about the lives of LGBT people in Brazil. This report was so important that it was used by the U.S. State Department and the Canadian government to understand the situation in the country.

Today, Míriam Martinho continues to work as a journalist. She is the editor of two important websites that share news and ideas for the lesbian community in Brazil.

See also

In Spanish: Míriam Martinho para niños