Buba from “Renascer” being trans is painful, says association of intersex people

Abrai (Brazilian Association of Intersexes) stated that the character Buba from the soap opera “Reborn “, having stopped being intersex to become a trans woman in the remake had a “painful impact” on the intersex community.

In an interview with CNN Thais Emília de Campos, president of the association spoke about how the intersex community received the news of the change.

“Intersex people feel like erasure. Perhaps the people behind the soap opera's production didn't realize, when changing the character, how much of a change this would bring. painful impact for intersex people”, said Thais.

In the first version of the novel, in 1993, written by Benedito Ruy Barbosa Buba was an intersex person, at that time called a hermaphrodite (a term that is no longer used today).

In the 2024 remake, reinterpreted by Pedro Luperi however, Buba is no longer intersex, but a trans woman.

According to Abrai, Buba was the only intersex character that existed and, therefore, was famous worldwide, serving as representation for the cause.

“Buba has always been the reference character, in a soap opera that has been running for more than 30 years. Many doctors used the character Buba to explain to families what an intersex person is. “, continued the president of Abrai.

“Many felt as if they had their lost identities. There are already other trans characters, but the only intersex character that was in any soap opera, and even known worldwide, was Buba”, he added.

Thais also reinforces that the argument made by intersex people is not against the trans cause. For them, the two causes should go hand in hand, including in the plot of the soap opera.

“The trans agenda is important. But you don't need to fight one fight by erasing another. Let's fight together. After all, many people are trans and intersex.”

The president states that she understands that it would be “perfectly possible” to play a trans and intersex character. “On Abrai’s board of directors, almost all people are trans and intersex. This would bring visibility to both causes”, she pointed out.

The decision to change was made by the author of the new version of the serial, Bruno Luperi, who believes that the issue of transsexuality has more visibility today, being better understood by the population.

A CNN contacted TV Globo to try to speak to Luperi about the change, but was informed that he does not currently have a date available for interviews.

Meet the main characters of “Renascer”