Rio Carnival parade will spotlight sex workers in effort to dismantle stigma

Brazilian Samba School Honors Sex Workers in Groundbreaking Carnival Parade

Lourdes Barreto never imagined that at age 83, she would become the centerpiece of a spectacular tribute during Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Carnival. Yet this weekend, the lifelong sex worker and activist will be celebrated as Porto da Pedra samba school performs a parade dedicated to her life’s journey and the broader struggle for dignity among sex workers.

“Who would have thought that a prostitute would be honored?” remarked Barreto during a video call from her home in Belem before traveling to Rio for the parade. Her journey began decades ago when she fled her home in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba as a teenager, a decision that led her into sex work and eventually to becoming one of Brazil’s most prominent advocates for sex workers’ rights.

The parade, titled “From life’s oldest times, the sweet and bitter kiss of the night,” represents the final chapter in a trilogy focused on marginalized communities conceived by Porto da Pedra’s creative director, Mauro Quintaes. His previous works highlighted the lives of thieves and people with severe mental health issues.

“The school is trying to make these women more seen, less invisible,” Quintaes explained. “It’s not an apology nor a glamorization.”

The timing is significant as Brazil continues to navigate complex legal terrain regarding sex work. While not criminalized when performed voluntarily by adults – and officially recognized as an occupation by Brazil’s labor ministry since 2002 – sex workers still face significant challenges. The Global Network of Sex Work Projects reports that police continue to target sex workers despite their legal status.

This contradiction stems from legal ambiguities that fail to clearly define the boundaries between consensual adult sex work and sexual exploitation. According to a 2017 report by the nonprofit group Davida, these legal gaps give authorities considerable discretionary power to regulate sex work according to their own interpretations.

Barreto’s prominence as an honoree reflects her decades of activism. She co-founded the Brazilian Network of Prostitutes in the 1980s, standing up to military police and campaigning for HIV prevention policies. Her influence recently earned her recognition from the BBC as one of 100 inspiring and influential women worldwide in 2024, alongside Olympic athlete Rebeca Andrade and other notable figures.

“I’ve always seen myself as a working woman. Not sinning, not doing anything wrong,” Barreto said.

While sexual themes have appeared in previous Carnival parades, Porto da Pedra’s approach marks a watershed moment for its central focus and emphasis on class struggle, according to Juliana Barbosa, a communications professor at the Federal University of Parana and a Carnival expert.

“The theme stays for months within those communities, being sung about and discussed, and then it spreads to a very large number of people,” Barbosa noted. “It can contribute to social change. Not as a rule, not on all subjects, but it has that tendency.”

Samba schools, which emerged from Brazil’s Black communities, have a long history of addressing social issues through their performances at the Sambodrome. Their elaborate presentations featuring music, dance, costumes, and floats reach massive audiences during Carnival’s joyful yet competitive festivities.

Andrea de Andrade, who will lead Porto da Pedra’s percussion section as drum queen, recognizes the educational power of these performances. “Many people don’t have access to much, not just due to a lack of funds, but also a lack of time. Many don’t read, don’t study — but Brazilians love Carnival,” said the 39-year-old social media figure.

More than 50 sex workers of all genders from across Brazil are expected to march alongside hundreds of other performers in Saturday evening’s parade. Among them will be Thauany Laressa, a 27-year-old sex worker from Brazil’s northern state of Rondonia, who reached out to the school after learning about this year’s theme.

“I hope that people who see the parade will have more compassion when interacting with sex workers and help them accept it as a profession,” Laressa said. “I hope that people will start respecting our lives, our way of life and our job.”

As the samba drums prepare to thunder through Rio’s Sambodrome this weekend, Porto da Pedra’s parade promises to do more than entertain – it aims to challenge stigmas and spark conversations about the humanity, dignity, and rights of those in one of society’s oldest professions.