Recently the Abrai (Brazilian Association of Intersex People) stated that the character Buba, a member of the cast of the soap opera Renascer, had a “painful influence” on Globo, who in the remake of the production stopped being intersex to become a trans woman Intersex people had community.
The president of the association, Thais Emília de Campos, spoke in an interview with CNN about the community's negative reaction to the news of the change in the soap opera.
“Intersex people feel like they are being erased. Perhaps when the soap opera producers made the character change, they were unaware of the painful impact this would have on intersex people.”
Thai to CNN.
The soap opera was written by Benedito Ruy Barbosa and the first edition of the teledramaturgy work dates back to 1993. In this version, Buba was an intersex person then referred to as a hermaphrodite.
Transformation into a trans woman on Globo causes criticism
However, in the 2024 remake with text by Pedro Luperi, Buba is no longer portrayed as an intersex (or hermaphrodite), but as a trans woman. According to Abrai, the character Buba was the only intersex character on television and therefore had worldwide fame as she served as a representative for the cause.
“Buba has always been the reference figure in a soap opera that has been running for more than 30 years. Many doctors used the character Buba to explain to families what an intersex person is.”
Thai's Emilia.
The association's president also says that “many felt that their identity had been lost. “There are other trans characters, but the only intersex character to appear in a soap opera and even be known worldwide was Buba.”
“The trans agenda is important. But you don't have to fight one battle by wiping out another. Let's fight together. After all, many people are trans and intersex,” said Thais.
+Read more news from Imprensa em Oeste.
The president of the association also states that she thinks it is “quite possible” to play a trans and intersex character. “Almost all of the people on Abrai’s board are trans and intersex. This would make both causes more visible,” he added.
It was the author of the soap opera's remake, Bruno Luperi, who decided to make the change. He believes that the issue of transsexuality has greater visibility today and is therefore better understood by viewers.
also read