Over the last week or two, there have been a series of protests gathering momentum in each of the largest cities in Brazil — coincidentally each the home of one of the new soccer stadiums being built for the Copa do Mundo 2014 [2014 FIFA World Cup] to be held in Brazil.

Ostensibly, the protests in São Paulo started because the price of a city bus ticket rose from R$3,00 to R$3,20, but it so, so much more.

The protestors have specifically cited the lack of medical care and hospitals that do not support the population, the lack of affordable public transportation, an underfunded and poorly-ranked educational system — and ultimately, the exorbitant price tag* for the new soccer stadiums.

The first couple of protests happened a block from my hotel last week — while I was there. I heard explosions, chanting, singing, helicopters hovering and lots and lots of noise.

The early protests were accompanied by extreme police action, but after a huge backlash (and video surfacing that belied the “facts” as reported by both the government and the government-pressured press corps), the police have backed down and are merely accompanying the largely non-violent protests.

As my puny show of solidarity far from Brazil right now, I posted this on Facebook this morning:

For all of my American (and other friends) who are wondering why I am posting so much about the protests in Brazil, just know this:

The people of Brazil are its real beauty and its real power — and they are finally beginning to realize that themselves — and that is a beautiful and a powerful thing.

Para todos os meus amigos brasileiros — saibam que todas as minhas forças mentais e emocionais são atrás de vocês.

“Pão e circos” [bread and circuses] suddenly isn’t flying any more.

* NOTE:

• Brasília’s new stadium was projected to cost R$750 Million and has been completed at more than double that at some R$1.5 Billion (currently, about USD 800 Million)
• It will be used for exactly three games during the World Cup in 2014
• Brasília does not have its own soccer team.

I’m back home for at least five weeks and enjoying every minute.

My honey assigned me a list of creative projects and I’ve been able to check several off the list; most of them are for our big 25th anniversary party in less than 4 weeks (July 13th).

The animals are happy to have me home and I assume my honey is as well!

I dreamt last night that we were in the middle of our huge 25th Anniversary extravaganza party coming up in mid-July and besides a whole lot of people that surprised me by being there (my old girlfriend from high school?) — a short, wide man with a doughy face, extreme features and a very strong German accent, dressed in a white shirt, tie and dark suit approached us and said that he had “…been sent by Elder Uchdorf, who sent his congratulations and best wishes on this momentous occasion”.

I was totally taken aback and dream-wondered if Elder Uchdorf had found out about our party from Facebook (and how he had time to look at everyone’s Facebook posts) — and what this meant from an LDS church “and the gays” perspective.

I woke up frowning, and am still not sure how to interpret this — or why my mind would have placed this (I hate to say it, but the Tolkien description fits) “troll”-like man there — and with almost intelligible English — representing a member of the LDS First Presidency.

Yikes.

—

The decorations were fantastic, as expected. My honey had apparently tired of waiting for me to design a “gobo” for the event, and had created his own. He left the “manufactured by” tag on the gobo and the overhead spotlights were projecting on keyhole-shaped metal plates wrapped in thick plastic on the floor (don’t ask).

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Another party was taking place downstairs and I wandered there to see it and noted that it was for a wedding. Their party was dark, empty of people, dream-foggy and begging for gifts; there were areas designated for gifts to celebrate their anticipated “1-5 year anniversary, “6-10 year anniversary”, etc. It was like they wanted to get all the gifts up-front for their rest of their lives.

I went back upstairs to the light.

Trip number 17 or 18 since January 2012 (I could go back and count, but it’s not that pertinent except to note that I have been down here a lot in the last year and a half).

I was saddened to find out that I would be missing the Gay Pride festival and Pride Parade in Salt Lake City this year, when a Brazilian friend advised me via Facebook that I was to “bring your camera and don’t put your wallet or iPhone in your back pocket and show up at Avenida Paulista on Sunday.”

Gay Pride São Paulo style. I’m told it’s the largest in the world, but then again, Sydney made that claim for their equivalent “Mardi Gras”, which I attended in 2007. It had some 10,000 marchers and 300,000 viewers. Let’s see if Sampa can top that!

The interesting thing is that this all takes place a block from my hotel, so it should be easy to get there and back.

I wandered out this afternoon and stumbled across an impromptu (and much smaller) Lesbian parade.

Based on their signage and pleas, I quickly understood that homosexuality is much more dangerous and unaccepted here in Brazil. While there seems to be a general sense of tolerance in São Paulo, I don’t see that as much from the government, the cities/people in the interior and society in general. I would hazard a guess that they are 10 years behind the US in many areas — which surprises me considering how far we are behind the rest of the civilized world.

The world is changing and thanks to people like these who marched today and will march en masse tomorrow, attention will be paid and tolerance and acceptance should increase.

Today the Boy Scouts of America national council voted to allow gay members to be part of their organization, by a 62% to 38% margin.

This, with the tacit support of the change by their largest sponsor, the LDS church.

Unfortunately, the message remains mixed as gay Scout leaders are still prohibited.

Interestingly enough, the homosexual activity/exploration that I witnessed as a young Boy Scout was never between the leaders and the Scouts, but among the boys themselves — most (if not all) who then and now identify themselves as straight.

We gay boys were scared to death to try anything.

I’ve been home from Brazil for a week now and am really enjoying the calm, routine and spending time with my honey and our animals.

I head back down there in two weeks, but until then will continue to enjoy a beautiful spring in Salt Lake City.

My honey’s niece heard an interesting story about me last Thanksgiving and asked if she could interview me for a project for her college Social Justice class.

Here is the result:

YouTube LINK

So I went.

It was scheduled from 9:00am to 9:30pm and I bailed around 2:30. I found that five hours was plenty this go-around. And the “spiritual meeting” was last on the agenda — and was something that I had no desire to see, hear or feel.

I ran into several close companions and mission buddies — Rodriguez, Emerick, Brino, Serra, Neves, Homolka and Gava and it was truly a great experience. I felt so welcomed and we all shed a few tears, choked on a few laughs and shared remembrances.

This emotional pleasantness reminded me that real relationships are built on trust, mutual respect and friendship — and that those outlast and outweigh anything built solely on mutually-shared beliefs.

While I was asked several times if I was, “married, have children?” I responded that I was not married and had no children. And then came the , “Were you ever married?” followed by, “Just didn’t find the right one?”

I happily agreed that they had hit it on the head and we left it at that. This was not the time nor place to discuss my sexuality or my relationship with my honey. Those who are my friends on Facebook should have already figured it out — and seem to have no problems with “it” or me (and four of these are listed above).

Only one former missionary and his wife asked me, “So, Elder, are you still “firm” in the church?” — fully expecting that I would say yes.

When I responded, “No.” they actually flinched and then he said, “That makes me very sad”.

I responded that I was very happy and that he had no reason to be sad on my behalf.

They both thought carefully for a moment and then we continued our conversation in another direction, with me not perceiving any appreciable change in how they were treating or talking to me.

I had expected the worst today and was willing subject myself to this reunion in order to gut-check my own feelings, beliefs and emotions.

I did okay.

While not 100% confirmable simply because the LDS church does not reveal its finances except in countries where it is required by law (e.g. UK, Canada), the following article provides enough insight and extrapolation to give pause for thought:

How Much Does a Mormon Apostle Make?

The interesting part for me is where the church advises mission presidents not to discuss nor claim their funds receipt from the church as “income”.

Once more example of institutionalized “lying for the Lord”.

I keep obsessing over this “Former Mission President’s 80th Birthday & Mission Reunion” in Campinas on Saturday.

I signed up via Facebook to go — and have spent countless hours trying to figure out how to get there:

• I reserved a rental car and then cancelled the reservation because I really don’t want to drive in São Paulo traffic
• I checked flight schedules and no one flies between the two points
• I thought about buying a cheap ticket anywhere on Azul airlines because they have a “free” bus that runs from the Congonhas airport near where I work to the Campinas airport every hour or so — nah, too expensive and a waste of a good ticket
• I thought about the car service that picks me up when I arrive in Brazil, but figured since I would be footing the bill, I’d forego that luxury

I finally reverted mentally back 35 years and decided to head to the rodoviária early Saturday  morning and take a bus. That should bring back plenty of memories, as that was the only way we traveled between cities “back in the day” for conferences, transfers and visa renewals.

in addition to seeing old mission companions, former missionaries and my dear — now old — first mission president — not to mention dealing with the the religious throwback (or will it be blowback?) — I expect this to be a fairly stressful day.

But I am still looking forward to it.