My friend Scooter LaForge (second from right) and his pals are in Rio de Janeiro, where they were invited to partake in the art project Sobre Saltos (On Heels).
As FreakChic explains, Sobre Saltos was conceived by artists Stélio Constantino Barbosa and Nizael Flores de Almeida, where male participants wear high heels while they walk naturally and silently in public spaces, often creating strange reactions by those who are watching them. Stelio and Nizael believe that seeing men on the streets walking in heels can awaken society to rethink the diversity and sexuality in its own contexts.
The guys were looking fierce, so Reuters photographer Sergio Moraes approached them for some photos Unbeknowst to the guys, though, Moraes ended up sending his pics over the wire describing them as men in heels "protesting Pope Francis's visit to Brazil," which actually had nothing to do with the project. I'm not even sure if Scooter even knew the pope was in Brazil this week, but now that I think about it, it's probably not a bad tie-in!
The Reuters "story" is HERE.
Reuters: Men were photographed wearing high heels in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil during what they said was 'an artistic' protest ahead of Pope Francis' visit to the beach. Pope Francis is on his first trip abroad as pontiff, spending a week in Brazil where over a million people are expected to see him. Brazil is home to the world's largest Catholic population.