Rosely Roth (August 21, 1959 in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

– August 28, 1990 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil) is considered one of the pioneers in the history of the LGBT movement of Brazil (known in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

as the ''Movimento Homosexual Brasileiro'').

Biography

Early life and education

The daughter of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents, she attended both Jewish and non-Jewish schools while growing up in her native São Paulo. In 1981, she obtained a degree in Philosophy from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo; and in 1985-1986 she graduated again from the same university with a degree in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

, having dedicated her studies on lesbian life and

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wi ...

in São Paulo.

Women's movement

Roth started her direct participation in the

women's movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such i ...

at the beginning of 1981 by attending meetings at the ''Grupo Lésbico Feminista'' (1979–1990) and at the ''SOS Mulher'' (1980–1993). In addition, in 1981 Roth and

Míriam Martinho Míriam Martinho (born 1954) is one of the leading feminists in Brazil and part of the second generation of feminist journalists, who emerged in the 1980s. She was one of the first people to bring lesbianism openly into the fold of feminism and f ...

, another

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

of the Brazilian LGBT movement, founded the ''Grupo Ação Lésbica-Feminista'' - ''GALF'' (1981–1990) in São Paulo. Roth was involved in many organizations and activities demanding

sexual freedom A sexual norm can refer to a personal or a social norm. Most cultures have social norms regarding sexuality, and define ''normal sexuality'' to consist only of certain sex acts between individuals who meet specific criteria of age, consanguinity ...

and equal rights for

lesbians A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and all members of the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

community during most of her adult life. She was particularly active in bringing visibility to related issues in the local and national media when the LGBT movement was still in its infancy in Brazil.

Death

In the last phase of Roth's life, she started to suffer from what has been described as deep emotional problems. As a consequence, it is believed that her health condition led her to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. The ''Dia Nacional do Orgulho Lésbico,'' a national day of lesbian pride, celebrated annually throughout Brazil on August 19, since 2003, has been established in her honor.

References

External links

O Movimento Homossexual Brasileiro...
by Michele Cunha Franco Conde (In Portuguese).

by Miriam Martinho (In Portuguese). *
BRASINE: Brasileiras que fizeram historia
by Mídia Brasileira para a Alemanha, Áustria e Suíça/Brasilianische Medien für Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz (In Portuguese and German). {{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Rosely 1959 births 1990 deaths Brazilian feminists Brazilian Jews Lesbian Jews Brazilian lesbians Brazilian LGBT rights activists Lesbian feminists People from São Paulo 1990 suicides 20th-century Brazilian LGBT people