Pride Month: mapping the online debate regarding the 28th LGBT+ Pride Parade

By: FGV Direito Rio

• During Pride Month, publications on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube focused on diverse topics, such as the queer community's reappropriation of national symbols like the green and yellow colors and the Brazilian national team shirt, the redefinition of the concept of family, and the celebration of LGBT+ rights. Disinformation and attacks on political figures were more prevalent on X compared to other platforms.
• On Facebook and Instagram, informative posts about the Pride Parade dominated. These posts featured details about the program and highlighted notable figures in the LGBT+ scene. Ten media profiles on these platforms accounted for over 90% of the total engagement.
• Engagement on X was distributed more evenly among user profiles. The top ten profiles received 39% of the total engagement from 42 posts, while the remaining 27,303 users contributed to 61% of the interactions across 45,397 posts.
• On YouTube, aside from content celebrating the LGBT+ parade, various channels posted videos linking the event to the political race for mayor of São Paulo. These videos delved into the significance of the presence and absence of political representatives from both the right and the left.

Presentation

• On June 2, 2024, the 28th São Paulo LGBT+ Pride Parade took place with the theme "Enough of negligence and setbacks in the Legislature: vote consciously for the rights of the LGBT+ population." This annual event serves as a crucial platform to highlight the struggles of the LGBT+ community and mobilizes different sectors of Brazilian society around various agendas. These include ensuring the exercise of rights, recognizing the diversity of gender and sexuality identities, and critiquing the heteronormative structure of the traditional family, among others.
• In this report, we analyze the landscape of the online debate about the event on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube platforms. The objective of the research was to map the main discussions that emerged from the 28th LGBT+ Pride Parade in São Paulo and evolved during June 2024.

Methodology

• We developed this report using data from posts on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) and videos published on YouTube from June 1 to 30, 2024. This time frame, known as "LGBT+ Pride Month," includes the 28th LGBT+ Pride Parade in São Paulo on June 2nd and LGBT+ Pride Day, celebrated on the 28th.
• Using a search syntax guided by expressions and hashtags related to the LGBT+ Parade and the context of Pride Month, we extracted 45,439 posts from X and 432 videos from YouTube on the topic, regardless of the type of profile that made these publications. Additionally, we extracted 261 Facebook posts and 144 Instagram posts specifically from media outlets. By focusing on media outlets for Facebook and Instagram, we maintained a more precise thematic cohesion given the specificities of the platforms and the differences in how keywords, such as "stop" and "homophobia," perform and deliver results across different media platforms.
• During the preliminary analysis, we identified a small number of residual posts that deviated from the theme. Consequently, we discarded 49 posts from Facebook, 37 from Instagram, and 382 from X. Thus, this report explores the general context of 212 Facebook posts by 107 media profiles, 107 Instagram posts by 61 media profiles, 45,439 posts made on X, by 27,313 users in general, and 432 videos published on YouTube, by 281 channels (also without previously distinguishing the profiles).

• In addition to addressing the overall metrics of all posts, this report includes an in-depth qualitative analysis of the ten posts with the most engagement on each of the four platforms.  The following are the engagement measures used: 

• On Facebook, total interactions include likes, comments, shares, and reactions. 
• On Instagram, we measured interactions by the sum of likes and comments on a post.
• For X (formerly Twitter), interactions are calculated by the sum of likes, retweets, and replies. 
• We used the total number of views on YouTube as the metric for significant interaction; among the top ten videos, we discarded only one video that did not mention the Parade.
• We developed the categories used in the report based on a qualitative analysis, which identified the following themes: (i) national symbols in dispute, (ii) family, (iii) celebrating diversity, and (iv) other narratives: politicians and the Pride Parade. This analysis observed themes with a significant recurrence and relevance for media profiles and other users who addressed the Pride Parade in their posts. In the second phase, the analysis sought to understand how each theme appears on each platform.

Pride month on social media

1. Temporal evolution of publications on the networks 

The graph below shows the evolution of publications made throughout June, known as "LGBT+ Pride Month," on the four platforms.

Graph 1: Timeline of posts on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube

 

Source: Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio 

 

• Analyzing the timelines of Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube, it is possible to identify that the highest peak of publications occurred on June 2nd, the date of the 28th LGBT+ Pride Parade in São Paulo. On that day alone, 81 posts were published on Facebook, 32 on Instagram, 18,273 on X, and 88 videos on YouTube. These publications correspond to 40% of the posts collected on the four platforms.
• The most discreet peak of publications on X, on June 13, comprises posts referencing an alleged "Family Pride Parade" in Serbia. On that date, the primary mobilization of the issue took place in conservative profiles that oppose the rights of LGBT+ people. On other networks, we identified the dilution of the content throughout the month, with posts on media profiles on Facebook and Instagram and videos on YouTube on dates that are not necessarily celebratory.
• June 28 is another peak on all platforms, lower than the first one. The date marks LGBT+ Pride Day, and posts were made on all networks on the subject. Content mostly celebrated and remembered the fight for the rights of the LGBT+ community.

II. Engagement of profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and X

Graph 2 shows the total interactions on Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms, emphasizing the top 10 profiles responsible for the publications. 

Graph 2: Top profiles according to total interactions on Facebook, Instagram, and X

 

Source: Facebook, Instagram and X | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio

 

• 107 and 61 media profiles published the 212 Facebook and 107 Instagram posts. It is possible to observe a diversification of the ten profiles with the highest engagement in each of the networks, with the profiles Mídia Ninja, G1, and Terra being the only ones that appear in both lists. On Facebook and Instagram, Mídia Ninja ranked first with 16.98% and 33.87% of interactions. Next, UOL (16.17%), Terra (16%), and G1 (13.50%) appear on Facebook. On Instagram, G1 was in second place, with 28.31% of interactions, followed by Terra, with 13.49%.
• On Facebook, 90.04% of all the engagement from posts on the platform came from the top ten profiles. The remaining 97 media outlets covering the Parade and Pride Month received 9.96% of the total interaction. The top ten media profiles on Instagram received 93.55% of all interactions, while the other 51 received only 6.45%.
• The engagement was more disseminated on X, given the more significant number of posts gathered from this network. While the ten profiles with the most interaction together obtained 39% of the total engagement in 42 posts, the other 27,303 users shared 61% of the interactions in 45,397 posts on the network.
• Considering the large volume of publications identified in X, 45,439 posts made in X by 27,313 users in general, we elaborated the graph of interactions below to illustrate better the dynamics that developed between the profiles in this network in the analyzed period.

Figure 1: Graph of interactions between profiles in X

Source: X | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio

• The graph in Figure 1 shows that the conversation about platform X was influenced by a small number of profiles whose posts were widely shared. This can be identified by the interconnected lines starting from the blue focal points (where the posts originated) and extending to the green dots (representing the profiles that shared them).
• The visualization also indicates a "bubble" in the debate since there was a high concentration of profiles sharing the same publications, coming from a relatively low number of profiles but whose reach is generally high. It is also possible to observe that these publications had capillarity "outside the bubble." This dissemination is represented by the shares positioned at the ends of the tangle, associated with profiles not fully engaged with the other publications.
• The graph pattern also signals a concentration of the debate since no significant poles are observed in the representation. When observed qualitatively, the small concentration of shares in the lower left corner did not represent opposition to the debate but an atypical behavior of sharing profiles and links without a specific message, which may indicate bot behavior. 

III. Engagement of posts on Facebook, Instagram and X

The following graphs show the ten publications with the most interaction on Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms.

Graph 3: Top 10 Facebook posts with the highest engagement

 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio

• On Facebook, the publications made by the media profiles focused on the Parade's programming, emphasizing the names of public figures present at the event, such as Pabllo Vittar, Glória Groove, and Tiago Abravanel. Other information highlighted by the media outlets mainly concerned the message associated with the official name of the 28th Parade, "Enough of Negligence and Setbacks in the Legislature: Vote Consciously for the rights of the LGBT+ population," as well as the reappropriation of national symbols in a democratic demonstration.

Graph 4: Top 10 Instagram posts with the highest engagement

Source: Instagram | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio

• On Instagram, although the profiles in the sample also corresponded to media outlets, such as Facebook, the content of the leading publications showed a difference: the higher engagement reflected more messages with a tone of celebration of the 28th Parade and highlighting the presence and demonstrations of welcoming from family members of people from the LGBT+ community. The publication with the highest engagement on both platforms was the same, posted by the Mídia Ninja profile.

 

Graph 5: Top 10 posts from X with the highest engagement

Source: X | Elaborated by: FGV Direito Rio

 

• The widespread debate among users of various profiles on X was characterized by the dissemination of photos and videos taken on Parade Day, celebrating the event, and less attention to the presence of celebrities, for example. Of the ten posts on the platform with the highest engagement, seven mostly favor the LGBT+ Parade. The most prominent post is from the "@gaybrasil" portal, with more than 29,275 interactions. This was followed by the publication of Congresswoman Erika Hilton, who brought an excerpt of her speech on video, where the public acclaimed her and accumulated 22,424 interactions.
• Disinformation also appeared on X, gaining prominence as the third and fourth most engaged posts among the top 10. The profiles "@cabolucena" and "@misteriouspavao" sought to oppose the support received by the LGBT+ movement, with decontextualized images of Serbia to talk about a supposed "Family Pride Parade," receiving a total of 39,149 in number of interactions.
• A post opposing the movement, authored by Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, addressed the international stage and included material written in Hebrew to undermine the Parade debate in Brazil, highlighting support for Israel by suggesting that such a mobilization would be impossible in Gaza due to Hamas. The publication received a total of 10,609 interactions. 

Resignifying symbols and institutions

The survey identified three main themes that guided the online debate about the Pride Parade. We analyzed the ten most viewed contents on each social network, and we present how the topics are represented on the different platforms, considering their specificities and formats. The three main themes are (i) national symbols, (ii) family, and (iii) gender and sexuality diversity.

 

1. National symbols in dispute

• National symbols are part of a country's culture, history, and governing institutions. During the last decade, we have seen a dispute in Brazilian society around which values and State projects the national symbols represent. We saw, on the one hand, extreme right-wing groups, which present themselves as nationalists, appropriating the green and yellow colors and the shirt of the Brazilian Football Confederation as symbols of their agendas. On the other hand, sectors of the progressive camp distanced themselves from the symbols that should represent the entire nation. The 28th LGBT+ Pride Parade was marked by the strong encouragement of the event's organization for the public to wear green and yellow in addition to the traditional rainbow colors that represent the movement.
• In the analysis of the 10 posts with the most engagement on each platform, the discourse of the LGBT+ population resuming national symbols such as the green and yellow colors, the Brazilian national team shirt, and the national flag stood out. Thus, colors were used to reestablish their meaning linked to all Brazilians.

Facebook and Instagram 

• Five Instagram posts expressly mention the event's organization's request to use the colors of the national flag, defining a kind of "dress code." They also comment on how certain personalities—such as singer Pabllo Vittar and Tiago Abravanel—joined the request and wore the flag colors. 

Figure 2: Examples of posts on Instagram addressing the resumption of national symbols during the LGBT+ Parade

 

Source: Instagram (Terra; Brasil de Fato)

• In the case of Facebook, the posts mainly highlighted the takeover of Avenida Paulista by the Parade and highlighted aspects such as diversity, rights, and pride of the LGBT+ community. The word cloud below illustrates the main terms circulated in this network's publications.

Figure 3: Word cloud of Facebook posts 

• On platform X (former Twitter), the narrative in almost all posts favorable to the Parade is the reconquest of Brazilian national symbols. The Brazilian flag, the green and yellow colors or the shirts of the Brazilian soccer team have been, in recent years, appropriated by right-wing movements, generally intolerant of LGBT+ agendas, making the resumption of these signs in the current situation of the country a relevant strategy for the LGBT+ community. The post with the highest engagement had 340.8K views, more than 27K likes, and 1.9K shares within the platform alone (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Post with the highest engagement on X

 

Source: X

 

YouTube

• On YouTube, the left-wing movement advocating for the reappropriation of national symbols was featured in news coverage about the LGBT+ Pride Parade. Seven of the ten most viewed videos on the platform extensively cover this dispute. This is relevant because the campaign of the former President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, was marked by the appropriation of national symbols, such as the yellow shirt of the Brazilian national team, the use of the country's flag as an accessory, and even calls for political acts on Brazil's Independence Day. 
• Journalists and content creators pointed out that artists and passersby attended the LGBT+ Pride Parade in colors reminiscent of the country's flag, especially green and yellow. In addition, the videos highlighted the various artists who represented some letters of the LGBT+ acronym and sang the national anthem during the event. 

Figure 5: An example of a video published on YouTube addressing the resumption of national symbols during the LGBT+ Parade.

 

 

Source: Youtube

II.Family

The family is considered, in several societies, as a primary institution due to its importance in the organization and social structuring. However, its format and objectives are presented differently depending on the time, the territory, and the socioeconomic conditions. The heteronormative and exclusively consanguineous nuclear family as a model has proven to be extremely limited and has become one of the forms of perpetuation of violence for those who do not fit into the pre-established patterns. 

The analysis identified that the 28th Pride Parade took to the streets of São Paulo to discuss the different meanings of family, its layers, and its importance for the LGBT+ community.

Facebook and Instagram 

• Among the ten posts with the highest engagement analyzed on Instagram, only one brought information about the movement of fathers and mothers of LGBT+ people who offered hugs and shelter to those who do not have a relative who supports them. The dispute over the concept of family itself did not appear so prominently in Facebook and Instagram posts.

Figure 6: Example of an Instagram post highlighting the manifestations of welcoming LGBT+ people

Source: Instagram 

Source: Instagram 

 

X (former Twitter)

• Among the ten most interacted-with posts on X, seven dealt with positive aspects and celebrated the event, the reappropriation of national symbols, and the fight for LGBT+ rights. However, the first post to mention "family" used disinformation to position itself against the LGBT+ Parade.
• Published by the profile (@cabolucena) of one of the main organizers of pro-Bolsonaro "motociatas," the motorcycle club "Brazil above everything and God above all," the post received high engagement: there were more than 4K shares, 165 replies, and more than 16K likes (Figure 7). The publication misinforms by using decontextualized images of a festival promoted in Serbia, stating it is a "Family Pride Parade." The content has even been denied by several fact-checking agencies. The third post with the most interactions on X, from the "@misteriouspavao" profile, also deals with the same subject.

 

Figure 7: Post with misinformation on X

Source: X

Youtube 

• Of the ten most viewed videos on the YouTube platform, they have commented, in a journalistic tone, on the dispute over the meaning of family that took place between Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro council member and son of the former president, and the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship of Brazil, Silvio Almeida. Journalists and content creators reported that Carlos Bolsonaro proposed a project to prevent children and adolescents from parading in the LGBT+ Parade in Rio de Janeiro. In addition, they talked about Silvio Almeida's trip to the São Paulo Parade to defend the right of the LGBT+ family to exist safely. The propagators of information did not do this randomly since the characters mentioned position themselves on opposite political spectrums, which defend different conceptions of family.

Figure 8: Video highlighting Minister Silvio Almeida's speech in defense of the rights of LGBT+ families

Source: YouTube

III.Celebrating diversity

This section is dedicated to analyzing publications in support of the parade and LGBT+ rights. These posts give visibility to the participants of the event and their pride in being who they are, demonstrating the plurality and various nuances of a political and festive event.

Facebook and Instagram 

• On Facebook and Instagram, singer and artist Pabllo Vittar was a central and recurring figure in the posts, which highlighted her importance to the LGBT+ movement and culture in Brazil. In addition, posts were identified that displayed images of people in costumes, LGBT+ families, and demonstrations of affection between them (Figure 9). 

Figure 9: Example of informative posts made by media channels

Source: Instagram

X (formerly Twitter) 

• On X, posts by influential figures for national politics and who attended the event, such as Congresswoman Erika Hilton, received high engagement. The politician highlighted the diversity within the LGBT+ community and the movement's cohesion in moments of organization such as the Parade.

Figure 10: Post by Congresswoman Erika Hilton, second among the ten most engaged 

Source: X

Youtube 

• The publications made on YouTube mostly concerned the coverage of channels of various profiles celebrating the Pride Parade and giving prominence to the public that attended the event. The channels were dedicated to interviewing LGBT+ people, giving voice to the community and showing its plurality.

Figure 11: Video of independent coverage made by blogger Natty Hills

 

Source: Youtube 

 

Other narratives - Politicians and the Pride Parade

We identified among the publications analyzed political contours that were not restricted to the community's demands. The presence of political actors from different powers and spheres of government generated debate during and after the event. Such discussions were mobilized mainly on YouTube and X platforms.  

I.The election for São Paulo

The presence or absence of pre-candidates for the mayor of São Paulo at the event, in addition to representing the economy of the capital of São Paulo, was part of the news that circulated the most, especially on YouTube.

• Federal congressman Guilherme Boulos actively participated in the 28th Parade. His speech emphasized the event's importance for the city of São Paulo and the policies he intends to implement in accordance with LGBT+ demands. It is important to note that the videos that reflected Boulos' presence received comments supporting his candidacy.
• Ricardo Nunes, a pre-candidate for reelection in the capital of São Paulo, gained repercussions for his absence in the Pride Parade. When interviewed the following week, Nunes stated that he was at a medical appointment on the Sunday that the event was held. The comments on one of the YouTube videos that reflected this fact were divided between questions about the justification and relativization of the mayor's obligation to be present at the event. 

 

Figure 12: Example of a video on YouTube addressing the absence of Ricardo Nunes at the LGBT+ Parade

III. Congressmen

• In addition to  Erika Hilton, whose post on X obtained the second-highest engagement among those analyzed, Congresswoman Sâmia Bomfim was highly mentioned on the platform. It should be noted, however, that most of these mentions of Sâmia, mainly associated with the sharing of her posts, contained fatphobic, LGBTphobic attacks and political violence.
• Among the criticisms of Pride Month and its manifestations, a post made by Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, coming in last place in the Top 10 on platform X, stands out. He points out an alleged incoherence of the "left," placed in a homogeneous and generalized way, by insinuating that his supporters are contradictory for positioning themselves in favor of the LGBT+ community and the Palestinian population. The speech explicitly mobilizes the fact that the Palestinian Hamas government is known for its intolerance of sexual and gender diversity.

 

Figure 13: Post mobilizing the context of Israel to address intolerance of the LGBT+ community.

Prepared by:

This report was produced by the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio within the scope of the Media and Democracy Project.

 

Authorship:

Yasmin Curzi (Professor at FGV Direito Rio, Coordinator of the Diversity & Inclusion Program and the "Media and Democracy" Project at the Law School)

Carolina Peterli (Researcher of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Fernanda Gomes (Researcher of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Giullia Thomaz (Researcher of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Hana Mesquita (Researcher at the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Iris Rosa (Researcher of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Isabella Markendorf Marins (Researcher of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Lorena Abbas (Researcher at the Diversity & Inclusion Program at FGV Direito Rio/ "Media and Democracy" Project)

Camila Lopes (Researcher at the Center for Technology and Society at FGV Direito Rio)