Português
An open conversation between Neon Cunha, activist, art director, and matron of Casa Neon Cunha, and Marcos Tolentino, educator and researcher, addressing public policies and the politics of the archive in shaping LGBTQIA+ memory in Brazil.
The talk takes place this Thursday, October 23, at 7pm, in Expositivo 2 at Pivô Copan, and marks the closing event of the Pivô Pesquisa 2025 Study Program. Admission is free, subject to capacity.
Neon Cunha
A Black, Amerindian, and transgender woman who challenges toxic whiteness and cisgender norms, Neon Cunha is one of the most recognized voices in the movement for the depathologization of trans identities in Brazil. She participates in numerous initiatives and spaces as an independent activist and is the matron of Casa Neon Cunha, an LGBTQIAPNB+ shelter and community space in the ABC Paulista region.
Marcos Tolentino
Holds a Master’s degree (2012) in History from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), where he is currently pursuing a PhD in the Graduate Program in History. He is an educator and researcher who has worked with the Memorial da Resistência de São Paulo, the organization VoteLGBT, and the Federal University of ABC within the project “História e Memória LGBT+ no ABC.”
📍 Open Talk with Neon Cunha and Marcos Tolentino — Public Policies and the Politics of the Archive in LGBTQIA+ Memory
October 23 (Thursday)
7pm
Expositivo 2, Pivô Copan
Free admission, subject to capacity
Marcos Tolentino holds a master’s degree in History from the University of Campinas (Unicamp, 2012), where he is currently pursuing a PhD in the same field. He is an educator and researcher at Acervo Bajubá. He has worked as a researcher at the Memorial da Resistência de São Paulo, the organization VoteLGBT, and the Federal University of ABC, within the project História e Memória LGBT+ no ABC (LGBT+ History and Memory in the ABC Region).
He was curator and researcher of the virtual exhibition Vidas dissidentes em ditadura: repressão, imaginário social e cotidiano (Dissident Lives Under Dictatorship: Repression, Social Imaginaries, and Daily Life), developed in partnership with the Brazilian Lesbian Archive and the Vladimir Herzog Institute. Living with HIV for nine years, since 2021 he has written and spoken publicly about the topic, contributing texts to the anthologies Poéticas de vida. Escritas de Si(da) (2022) and Tudo o que eu deixei de dizer em voz alta (2023).
Neon Cunha is a publicist, art director, and public servant with over four decades of experience. A Black, Amerindian, and transgender woman, she is one of Brazil’s leading voices in the fight for the depathologization of trans identities. Her independent activism articulates race and transness as key elements in challenging the construction of non-humanity.
She serves on various boards and initiatives, including Instituto Casa de Criadores, Instituto Marielle Franco, Revista AzMina, and Geledés – Black Women’s Institute, while collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations. With over 30 years of experience in fashion, she currently works with the brands Isaac Silva (Brazil) and Davii (Portugal).
Also trained in Visual Arts, she received academic excellence recognition from the Federal University of ABC (2021) and the Milu Vilella Award (2022). Since 2018, she has been the matron of Casa Neon Cunha, a shelter for LGBTQIAPNB+ people in vulnerable social situations in the ABC Paulista region.