Popó Vaz

Popó Vaz
Born
Paulo Vaz

(1985-07-04)4 July 1985
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Died14 March 2022(2022-03-14) (aged 36)
São Paulo, Brazil
Occupations
  • Police officer
  • activist
  • digital influencer

Paulo "Popó" Vaz (4 July 1985 – 14 March 2022) was a Brazilian police officer, activist, and digital influencer.

Biography

Paulo was gay and a trans man who began his gender transition process in 2016.[1][2] He became known for being one of the few transgender men working in the police force. Vaz used social media as a platform to defend LGBTQ rights, especially transgender rights.[3] He was married to YouTuber Pedro HMC, from the channel Põe na Roda, since 2019.[4][5][6] As a content creator, he made humorous videos and others about masculinizing hormone therapy.[7]

As a Civil Police investigator since April 2018, Vaz spoke about the importance of supporting and inspiring more trans men to pursue a career in law enforcement. He stated that, by being in the police force, he could show that anyone could also follow this path and combat prejudice.[4][8]

Death

Vaz died at the age of 36 in São Paulo.[9][10] In an interview with Leo Dias, Pedro HMC said that the cause of death was suicide.[11][12][13]

The death of Vaz generated widespread repercussions on social media, where various entities and personalities expressed their condolences, such as politicians Erika Hilton and Fabiano Contarato, and the Associação Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais.[14]

Three months after Paulo's death, Pedro HMC came forward to speak about what happened. At the time, HMC discussed the repercussions of his leaked sex tape, which led to transphobic attacks against Vaz and allegedly motivated his suicide.[11]

In 2023, a book in his honor was released, called Paulo Vaz, fragmentos. The profits from the book sales were to be donated to transgender rights organizations.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Minas, Estado de (14 July 2019). ""Felicidade é construída, não cai do céu", diz mineiro que nasceu em corpo feminino - Gerais". Estado de Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Estes LGBTs têm papéis fundamentais na nossa sociedade hoje". BuzzFeed BRASIL (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Santos, Charlie Drews Dos; Xavier, Allan Moreira; Miranda, Meiri Aparecida Gurgel de Campos (28 September 2021). "Homem trans com homem cis dá lobisomem? Professores de ciências perante corpos lobisbixas". Revista Periódicus (in Portuguese). 2 (16): 155–171. doi:10.9771/peri.v2i16.35528. ISSN 2358-0844 – via Federal University of Bahia.
  4. 1 2 "Quem era Popó Vaz, apelido do policial e ativista trans Paulo Vaz". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Facundo, Matheus (15 March 2022). "Quem era Popó Vaz? Conheça a trajetória do policial e ativista trans que morreu aos 36 anos". Diário do Nordeste (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Ferreira, Bruno (14 August 2019). "Pedro HMC se casa com noivo, Paulo Vaz, em cerimônia civil". Observatório G (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Torres, Maria Bianca Damares de Menezes; Moreira, Diego Gouveia (9 September 2022). "Análise do discurso de tiktokers sobre transgeneridade" (PDF). Intercom – Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Interdisciplinares da Comunicação (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Pernambuco.
  8. ↑ Aquino, Raquel (2 June 2022). "Pedro HMC sobre a morte de Popó: 'Perdi quem mais amava'". O Povo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Paulo Vaz, influencer e policial trans, morre aos 36 anos". Folha de Pernambuco (in Brazilian Portuguese). 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  10. ↑ redacaoterra (1 June 2022). "Pedro HMC fala sobre a morte de Paulo Vaz: 'Perdi quem mais amava'". Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  11. 1 2 Magalhães, Daniella (1 June 2022). "Vídeo íntimo e suicídio: após três meses, Pedro HMC fala sobre marido". Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Pedro HMC, marido de Paulo Vaz, se pronuncia sobre morte do ativista trans". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 March 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Namorado quebra silêncio após morte do influencer e policial trans Paulo Vaz: "A dor é imensa"". Quem (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 August 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Morre Popó Vaz, policial civil e influencer trans, aos 36 anos". TV Cultura (in Brazilian Portuguese). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Bessas, Alex (16 June 2023). "Homenagem: livro 'Paulo Vaz, fragmentos' celebra vida e legado do ativista trans". O Tempo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
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