I hope for a day that people look back at this image and don't understand why this was a "radical act that almost makes me tear up".

Did they consent to being groped and harassed like that? Typical abuse of power.

no idea, but supposedly they are part of a sympathetic party/group to lula and haven't complained or spoken out about it. that doesn't necessarily mean it's all good but I like to assume kind/warm gestures are what they seem to be (kind/warm gestures).

Lula is a cool grandpa!

Also, most of South American cultures are kind of touchy, so there are less situations where this could have been considered "too much"

Can confirm, am south american and we are warm social creatures that value human interaction, both physical and verbal.

Time is a circle, there will be times where your wish is true and times when it's not.

I worked with a senior manager that was from somewhere in Europe. He was super hands on with men or women, not in a creepy office harassment way, just in a "in my culture we touch people, and I'm oblivious to western office norms" way.

I'd be showing him something on my screen and he'd be over my shoulder, with a hand on it. And then if I scrolled past something accidentally he'd get passionate about missing it, and just reach out over top of my hand to move the mouse...so both of us had our hand on the mouse LOL. He was completly oblivious to personal space.

Honestly, I don't anybody even noticed it happened until today...

Respectfully, it's Brazil. They kiss.

Interesting that your brain would go straight there

I'm cis and also I'd like to be kissed in the cheek by Lula.

I just watched the Mario Batali documentary. And I support the #metoo movement. And the President, etc.

I think it's not interesting that no one else goes straight there.

Oh well. Brazil! Vote for huge trans ass!

Instant disgrace in the US. Life over. Career shattered.

Next level Biden hair sniffing?

I’m in the comments looking for a reason… I mean, it was quite common to have men kiss on the cheek in some political spaces… what does being trans change to the equation? Is that “worse”?

Have you paid attention to politics lately? Obviously it isn't actually worse, but the left and right almost everywhere right now are racing to villainize trans people. Most politicians will do everything they can to avoid even being seen in the same room as a trans person right now.

because trans basically has no represenation anywhere.

You know how many transgenders they've got down there? A Brazilian!

I'm looking at it right now and don't understand what's radical about it.

This may seem very intimate if you're an Anglo but in some cultures this is not more than shaking hands...
The kiss on the cheek isn't very radical, the fact that she's is a transwoman in office in Brasil, is!

And unlike with right-wingers, there was consent and happiness

It would be like an American politician in 1984 putting his arm around a a gay man for a photo op. Or indeed shaking his hand.

It's like Mr. Rogers sharing a soak in the pool with a black character in the 60s.

Lindsey Graham was doing this for years though.