ABSTRACT
Many of the themes raised would subsequently be taken up again by new movements, such as the feminist and homosexual movements. The proposed solutions emphasized, then, the autonomy of the homosexual movement in relation to political parties and support for feminism in the struggle against machismo. One of the peculiarities of the new groups that formed the homosexual movement was the rejection of the terms entendido and gay; they opted instead to designate themselves as bichas. Homosexuals who insisted on the old stereotype of the bicha were sometimes criticized for their way of speaking, their extravagant clothes, their "sole preoccupation with sex", and their "passive" sexual behavior, although they could also be admired for facing society's prejudice head on. The Brazilian homosexual and feminist groups exhibit several of these characteristics. SOMOS, like other manifestations of the Brazilian homosexual movement, encountered its greatest difficulties and challenges precisely because of its aspiration to build a more egalitarian society.
