Gabriela Leite

Gabriela Silva Leite (1951 — 2013) was a Brazilian prostitute and activist in support of the rights of sex workers. She was the founder of the NGO, Davida, which derives its name from "Mulheres da Vida" (women of life), a term commonly used for prostitutes in Brazil, and of Daspu, a fashion brand for prostitutes.

Early life Leite was born in São Paulo on 22 April 1951. She came from a middle-class family, the daughter of a conservative housewife and a father who was a croupier. She studied social sciences at the University of São Paulo from 1969, but did not finish the course. In the late 1970s, she studied philosophy at the same university. Leite frequented the intellectual bohemian circles of São Paulo, before leaving that life and becoming a prostitute, which she has said was in search of her "personal revolution". Career Leite worked as a prostitute in Boca do Lixo in São Paulo, in the bohemian zone of Belo Horizonte, and in the brothel area of Vila Mimosa in Rio de Janeiro.

Leite played a central role in organizing the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil. In the late 1980s, she was invited to participate in the national HIV prevention program, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Prevenção ao Uso de Álcool e outras drogas (PREVINA). At the invitation of the ministry of health, she coordinated the production of the first manual on prevention of HIV/AIDS for prostitutes. Two years after the first national meeting of prostitutes, she organized a second national meeting focused on "AIDS and Prostitution", where the manual was validated by representatives of the government and sex workers alike. In 2009, she published a book entitled Filha, mãe, avó e puta (Daughter, Mother, Grandmother and Whore), in which she told her life story. In 2013 a short film was issued called Um Beijo para Gabriela (A Kiss for Gabriela), which traced her career.

Death and legacy Leite died in Rio de Janeiro on 10 October 2013, a victim of cancer.

In 2013 a short film was issued called Um Beijo para Gabriela (A Kiss for Gabriela). In 2014, Leite's granddaughter, journalist Tatiany Leite, produced a documentary series called Filhas de Gabriela (Gabriela's children). These consisted of interviews with friends of Leite, prostitutes, activists, and Jean Wyllys.