Love that dares speak its femininity: Trans* representation in Brazil

In this article, I analyse the representation of Michela, the trans*/ travesti street sex worker character, in the Brazilian short college film O amor que não ousa dizer seu nome/Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name by director Bárbara Roma Fadil (2013). I examine the femininities of the two main characters as well as the sex scene between them and how their relationship evolves afterwards. I draw from trans theory, Black feminism and Jasbir Puar’s concept of assemblage in order to study the complexity of Michela’s portrayal. I argue that the short film depicts Michela’s femininity and sexuality in a complex way, thus enriching the scope of trans*/ travesti representation in Brazilian cinema.