Ariel Nobre, the author of the letter, is also one of the leaders of the Observatório da Diversidade na Propaganda
Brazil is the country with the highest number of murders of trans people in the world for the 14th consecutive year. And that was one of the main motivations for the action 14 Letters for 14 Leaders created by the artist and activist Ariel Nobre, who is also one of the leaders of the Observatório da Diversidade na Propaganda.
Aiming to sensitize CEOs of agencies, CMOs of advertisers and executives of vehicles and platforms, about the importance of trans professionals occupying the top leadership of Brazilian corporations, Ariel wrote 14 letters by hand telling about her experience in the advertising industry and making herself available. to help chart paths so that the reality of this community today has new contours in the near future.
The project, created and directed by Ariel Nobre, features audiovisual production by DogsCanFly with Executive Direction by Thiago Balma, Scene Direction by Pedro Furtado, production by Renato Angelo, with support from Cia do TP, Filmes do Bem and Fabrika Locaes , Production Audio Pingado, photos by Srgio Carvalho, communication strategy by Jef Martins da Leo Burnett TM and Silvana Inácio and dialogue by Jonas Furtado.
Below is the content of the letter that was sent and the addressees:
‘Ol,
I’m Ariel, an activist and one of the leaders of the Observatório da Diversidade na Propaganda. I’m a trans man, which means that when I was born my family and the whole society treated me like a woman, I was raised as a woman. But in 2014, aged 27, I came out as trans. I asked people to call me Ariel, in the masculine.
Before that, he looked for me in advertisements, movies and magazines. Everything was silence or something I didn’t want to be: poor, ugly or violated. It took a lot of courage to look inside myself and declare myself as I really am.
The truth is that Brazil does not like trans people. I am writing to inform you that according to the NGO TGEU, Brazil is the country with the highest number of trans murders for the 14th consecutive year. I feel wronged when people like me are said to destroy families.
What I most want to be is to have a family. As a result, companies in the middle of 2023 say they are unprepared to hire trans professionals. As true as that is, our community can’t wait any longer.
Only 13.9% of trans women and 59% of trans men have formal jobs. I see myself fighting for life in a culture that insists on condemning me to death. The life perspective of the 35-year-old trans community in Brazil (IBGE).
Despite everything, I believe that I am worthy of life, work and love. We can (and must) change this scenario of death. Even programs for hiring trainees and interns are important, but insufficient.
Brazil needs trans leaders. There are no trans professionals occupying C-level in Brazilian advertising. We know about the vertiginous inequality of opportunities between cis and trans.
But only you know your company’s real challenges to make this happen. Think about them and know: you can count on me and the Observatory to overcome each one of them as soon as possible.
What’s more, our cooperation is crucial so that Brazil does not repeat such a regrettable record. If we invest today in professional and personal development for our community, tomorrow we will have the leaders we need.
No regalia, about the right to be who you are and still find a way to dream. about Brazil breaking other records and Brazilian advertising being the protagonist of a cultural transition that values our experiences.
Remembering, diversity is only possible in a democratic context.
With hope and an open heart,
Ariel Nobre’
