Monica's Gang will get a gay character, says Mauricio de Sousa
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In a recent interview, the creator of Monica's Gang, Mauricio de Sousa, talks a little about his personal and professional life and still makes political positions — something that the cartoonist did not usually do. In addition, Mauricio also talked about the inclusion of a gay character in Monica's Gang and his relationship with his son, Mauro de Sousa. Check out!
Mauricio de Sousa and the environment
The interview, granted to BBC News Brasil, was conducted online and began by talking about a very important point internationally: concern for the environment. The cartoonist said that soon the book I am a river will be launched and in it there is a true manifesto in relation to the defense of the environment. Mauricio says that, strategically, the book will be launched just on the eve of the COP-26, considered the most important event regarding ecological matters, which will take place in Glasgow, UK, this Sunday (31 October).
I couldn't put Monica's Gang all happy, happy, because she can't help but be happy, in a book where I wanted to put a different proposal. […] I was very proud because the book was praised. The academics, all of them, writers and literati, took the little book and said: 'wow, what path have you taken now, what a beauty, do more like this…'. I was very proud of myself.
Mauricio de Sousa on the proposal of Sou Um Rio and the reaction of his colleagues from the Academia Paulista de Letras (APL) when they had access – in advance – to the material
One of his positions regarding the defense of the environment is precisely an improvement in education, defending better structures in schools, teachers with better salaries and more respected. It also emphasizes that awareness of environmental preservation must be included in people's lives from a very young age. One of Mauricio's speeches is precisely about the Tiete river, remembering that, in his childhood, it was a beautiful place, where it was even possible to swim and fish, and he regrets the current situation there.
Despite being known, too, for not taking a political stance — although, if you read his works carefully, one can identify many lines that exhibit certain social responsibilities, for example, which result in a certain political stance — in a way that clearer, he talks a little about this relationship between defending the environment and being seen as a political opposition, especially at this time in which Brazil is so polarized.
You can understand it this way. War politics does not appeal to me. The conjugation policy, in a way, which must be positive because it is also informative, having its humanitarian and social objectives, a lot of objectives… Politics is not a bad thing. People are the ones who are misunderstanding the use of some political areas
Mauricio de Sousa, cartoonist and creator of the famous comic book Turma da Mônica
Someone who has been in the media and a public figure for decades, Mauricio de Sousa also knows how to deal with the current issues faced by exhibitions in Internet. The cartoonist knows that, even if he takes a stand and remains firm on the issues he defends, he can end up suffering online attacks from haters: whether they are personal or just political. At that moment he says that he prefers to ignore this type of offense and that he still knows what is important to say.
Gay character in Monica's Gang
Following the interview, Mauricio de Sousa was approached about the inclusion of minority groups in their stories. He claims that much of what is seen in his works are, in fact, a reflection of his own life and experiences, as well as the contact he had, when he was younger, with other children and their mutual experiences.
I started to study the types of disabilities that existed and I started creating characters. For this, I had to study a lot, invite children and young people to talk to me about how they solved their problems, how a wheelchair user crossed the street, what care had to be taken with the blind girl... humorous, solving problems. And all this I was able to spend with my characters
Mauricio de Sousa on the inclusion of minority groups in his works
Also, of course, he was asked about the possibility of including a gay character in the comics and the response was: “it's coming there“. He has been discussing with his team, which includes his son Mauro Sousa, who is also gay, about building this character. Because the characters in A Turma da Mônica are not sexualized, the inclusion would possibly be through gay parents who have a child, or even in Turma da Mônica Jovem, where these and other subjects are approached in a slightly more lenient way.
We are discussing it, yes. We are discussing with the writers, with Mauro, with the people close to us there so that there is a positive character. In all senses.
The inclusion of a gay character, by Mauricio de Sousa, being addressed
Much on this subject has been devoted to Mauro. Mauricio de Sousa says that the news of having a gay son was received with a lot of normality, mainly because he had a healthy relationship with him and his other children. In 2017, in an interview with Live Wheel, Mauricio de Sousa had another position when asked about the possibility of having a gay character in his works, but nowadays he says that there is learning every day, and relationships with people edify us, making positive teachings are always absorbed.
See also:
In a recent event, the volleyball player mauritius souza was fired from Minas Gerais for having made a homophobic post about the revelation that the new Super-Homem is bisexual.
Pig iron: BBC News Brazil.
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