Glenn and David's Story
From disseminating Edward Snowden’s damning NSA leaks to becoming a leading critic of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, American journalist Glenn Greenwald and his husband, Brazilian Congressman David Miranda, are no strangers to controversy. Nor are they rattled by its attendant fiery chain reactions: It was, after all, a spilled drink in the sands of Ipanema that sparked a rapid relationship and, eventually, a long, arduous battle for the future of Brazil.
Here, the couple reflect on parenting, politics, and personal measures they’ve had to take at the precipice of the country’s bitter political divide.
On their first meeting and family
David Miranda: We met on Ipanema beach, in front of Farme de Amoedo street, where I was playing footvolley. I kicked a ball straight into Glenn’s drink and spilled it, so I went up to him and apologized. We both took a good look at each other. It was love at first sight. And here we are together, stronger than ever, after 17 years.
Glenn Greenwald: I was going through a midlife crisis and I wanted to figure out my life. So, I rented an apartment for seven weeks in Rio, and I met David on the first day. When you go to Rio, you’re not looking for marriage — you’re not really looking for anything other than some fun. But love often happens when you are not looking for it, and right from the beginning I felt he was the one for me. That feeling has grown every day, right up to this day.
DM: We were already a happy couple before, but everything changed when we adopted our children. Our house became livelier and merrier. It is magical taking care of them, and seeing the world through their eyes. Being a parent is such an amazing thing. Everyone should experience it. It is a lot of work, yes, but I can confirm that it’s totally worth it.
GG: It was David’s dream to have kids, but in the beginning I did not want any because I had internalized, long ago, that a gay man cannot have children, that it can only happen between a man and a woman. Besides that, I thought children would be an impediment to my freedom. I later realized it was selfishness. And not just that, but a form of immaturity. Now I can testify that children do not limit your life; they expand it. And they strengthen a marriage too. It took me almost a year to allow them to call me “Dad,” but now that is the word which brings me the most happiness.
On negotiating political hullabaloo and public criticism together as a couple
DM: I am a politician and Glenn is a journalist. Because of the work we do, people will always label us, scrutinize our lives, and hate us when we threaten the positions of powerful people. It is going to continue forever. We know this, we move on, we do our work, and we find a way to get past these minor bumps in our path, because there is nothing in the world you cannot manage when you are strong together as a couple.
GG: We have gone through a lot together. David was famously detained in the Edward Snowden episode and it was a very difficult situation for both of us. In Brazil, we have faced a huge public backlash, too, but all these things have brought us together even stronger — because we are a married couple, and it is us against the world.
For my entire career, I have always been a leftist in people’s eyes. It is only a fairly recent thing that some Americans accuse me of being a Republican mouthpiece or a pro-Trump journalist. Even in Brazil, I am primarily perceived to be on the left.
However, people should understand that we are two different people doing two different types of work. Sometimes it’s not easy. I might say something controversial which spills over to him. A lot of times his party’s position might be in opposition to the things for which I advocate, and people ask me, “How can you say that when your husband’s politics are entirely different?”
On sorting out political differences inside the house
DM: Because of the nature of our work, we are continually engaged in conversation and debate inside our house, on all kinds of different topics. We have pretty similar views on many things, but there are definitely times when we are not on the same page. Maybe this makes us unique as a couple, but nobody wants to marry or live with a yes-man.
GG: I’ve lost friendships in the past over political differences. Because of that, now I try to place love, family and friends above those kinds of disputes. I no longer want to sacrifice personal relationships for politics. And I’ve discovered that having differences of opinion with someone you care about is a boon — because you actually learn from them, you sense their thinking and their underlying rationale, and you can see it from their perspective even if you don’t end up agreeing with them.
On personal security
DM: Glenn’s biggest story in Brazil was exposing the perversion of justice behind the imprisonment of Lula, our popular former President. As a result, Lula was released and is expected to run against Bolsonaro in 2022. And as a politician here in Brazil myself, I have ruffled the feathers of many powerful people. Because of these things, we are routinely on the receiving end of threats to our safety and our lives. It’s easy for cowards to say anything they want, and even though the threats are seldom credible, we still have to look out for our safety. So, we have hired security personnel and report to the police whenever we receive a threat. Having to bring bodyguards with us everywhere we go is obviously not an ideal situation, but that is the price that we have to pay for the work we do. And I am glad to pay it, because it means I can continue my fight to make life better for millions of Brazilians by working in Congress, and by standing against harmful or corrupt politics, whatever their source.
GG: It’s nice to be able to be yourself, to walk down the street by yourself, to go out and enjoy life with your friends instead of living like you are in a moving prison. But as David said, there is a cost to everything in life, and sometimes it is worth paying.
Parting thoughts
DM: We have to understand that people are going to be different, and that this diversity of politics, of perspectives, of opinions is not a bad thing but a good one. And we have to be kind to one another.
GG: We can be better people if we allow ourselves to be open to receiving and giving love. Whenever you have spare time and energy, invest it in a charity that means something to you, or work with animals.
Glenn Greenwald is a journalist and a constitutional lawyer who has authored four New York Times best-selling books on politics and law. He has contributed columns to Salon and The Guardian, and is one of the three co- founding editors of The Intercept, which he left in October 2020.
David Miranda was a Brazilian Federal Congressman representing the state of Rio de Janeiro. Named in 2019 by Time magazine as one of the world’s next generation of new leaders, he was the first LGBT City councilor in Rio’s history.
For more about Glenn, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Artist Notes
“In the centre is a figurative, abstract representation of Glenn and David in love. They are portrayed in a hugging posture with a stalk with two leaves rising from their hearts, which represents the apple of their eyes: their two children. On the left are a series of faces with their tongues out and a couple of hands, which represent the censorship and politically motivated violence they face. On the right are sunflowers which symbolize that when you have each other’s back, nothing in the world can break your spirit.”
Published Jan 5, 2022
Updated Sep 6, 2023
Published in Issue X: Clash of Ideologies