Exploring the streets around the South American megalopolis of São Paulo, this article situates the plaza of Largo do Arouche in its historical contextHistorical contexts and contemporary role as center for the city’s LGBT+ Community. Born as military grounds for the nascent city of São Paulo, this plaza has been choked by concrete as the city grew around it, yet it remained its cultural heart. From its early 20th century gilded age, it slowly fell into disrepair over the decades. Come mid-century, it was a haven for marginalized communities, artists and designers. It survived a near fatal blow in the form of the Minhocão elevated highway which pierced its borders in 1971, yet it finds itself under attack once more under another misguided attempt to “fix” the area. Largo do Arouche’s streets are now the front line in the battle against real estate developers, cultural puritans, and gentrification in the center of São Paulo. Led by an array of community-based collectives, especially Coletivo Arouchianos, the local residents have taken it upon themselves to refuse to be bulldozed by the city’s rabid penchant for redevelopmentRedevelopment. More than just a plaza, Largo do Arouche is a living, breathing organism in the middle of a concrete jungle. Its denizens have dug their trenches and are fighting for their existence via a dazzling array of community events, performances, and protests, teaching the rest of the world what it means to lute com um travesti [fight like a travesti].