Anderson Bigode Herzer (10 June 1962 in Rolândia,

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– 10 August 1982, in

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) was a

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and

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. He died by

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at the age of 20. The film ''

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'' by Sérgio Toledo is based on Herzer's life.

Life and times

Herzer was a transsexual man, ex-intern of the Fundação Estadual para o Bem Estar do Menor (FEBEM; a State

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for the protection of

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s) whose life and verses were published in a book titled ''A queda para o alto'', translated as 'descending upwards' in English. This book, in turn, served as the basis for the Brazilian film production ''

'', directed by Sérgio Toledo Segall. He was four years old when his father was killed, and his mother, a prostitute at that time, felt unable to take care of him, therefore turning young Herzer in to FEBEM. Sometime soon after that, his mother died. Although Herzer considered himself to be a

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for some time in his life, he then identified as transsexual. His school records show that he was a problem student, often engaging in fights, using street drugs and consuming

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. Herzer was institutionalized in FEBEM when he was fourteen years old. At that time he adopted the name ''Anderson Bigode Herzer'' (''Anderson'' being a common male first name in Brazil; although ''bigode'' is an unusual nickname, meaning ''mustache''). He remained under the State's tutelage until seventeen years of age. At that time Eduardo Suplicy, a renowned member of parliament (''deputado'' in Portuguese), touched by his poems and difficult life, acted as his protégé and hired him as an intern in his office.

Death

In spite of the support received, Herzer felt profoundly traumatized and decided to die by suicide by jumping off the ''Viaduto 23 de Maio'', a viaduct located in the downtown area of São Paulo.Jornal do Brasil: A queda para o alto. www.senado.gov.br – 2006 (in Portuguese)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzer, Anderson 1962 births 1982 suicides 1982 deaths Transgender male writers Transgender poets Brazilian male poets Brazilian transgender men Brazilian transgender writers Brazilian LGBTQ poets Brazilian people of German descent People from Rolândia Suicides by jumping in Brazil Transgender-related suicides 20th-century Brazilian male writers 20th-century Brazilian poets 20th-century Brazilian LGBTQ people

Life and times

Death

See also

References