Drag queen stars in Brazil Carnival celebration

A drag queen headlined the parade of one of Rio de Janeiro’s most storied samba schools Monday night as Carnival celebrations across the country continue the tradition of ridiculing cultural icons and pushing social boundaries.

Pabllo Vittar performed with BeijaFlor de Nilopolis, whose theme is promoting tolerance. Last year’s champions, Portela, portrays the story of Jews who fled persecution in Europe for Brazil.

Vittar is a sensation in the Brazilian pop scene, and Carnival has long been a place to celebrate sexuality and diversity.

But Brazil also has some of Latin America’s highest rates of violence against gay and transgender people, and Beija-Flor will tackle intolerance against the LGBT community and others.

“It will be a parade that highlights such an important theme ... because we see a lot of scenes of homophobia and transphobia in the streets,’’ Vittar told Epoca magazine in a recent interview. “It’s very important to address this theme at Carnival so we can disseminate this message (of tolerance) every day.’’

Also Monday, the gay rights organization Gay Group of Bahia hosted its annual LGBT Costume Contest in Salvador, including performances that highlight Brazil’s high rates of violence against women and gay and transgender people.