An terview wh Brazil's first openly gay senator, Fabiano Contarato - Women’s Media Center

Contents:

• AN TERVIEW WH BRAZIL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SENATOR, FABIANO CONTARATO
• BRAZIL'S SOLE OPENLY GAY NGRSMAN LEAV UNTRY AFTER ATH THREATS
• BRAZIL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINTIAL CANDIDATE MAK HISTORY — AND SPARKS CRICISM
• 'LULA IS GOD' COMMENT BY BRAZILIAN GAY ACTIVIST SENATOR SPARKS REACTN FROM EVANGELILS
• GAY CIVIL UNNS PASSED BY BRAZILIAN SENATE
• BRAZILIAN PRINTIAL HOPEFUL EDUARDO LEE OUT AS GAY
• FIRST OPENLY GAY BRAZILIAN 2022 PRINTIAL CANDIDATE RUNNG

AN TERVIEW WH BRAZIL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SENATOR, FABIANO CONTARATO

In 2018, Fabiano Contarato beme the first openly gay man to be elected to the Brazilian Senate. The 52-year-old senator, who reprents the state of Espíro Santo, was elected the midst of a shift Brazil’s polil climate toward extremist and fundamentalist views; the print elected 2018, Jair Bolsonaro, has nsistently ma racist and homophobic remarks and has been lled “Tmp of the Tropics.

BRAZIL'S SOLE OPENLY GAY NGRSMAN LEAV UNTRY AFTER ATH THREATS

The FBomb: You are the first gay man elected to the Brazilian Senate.

In 2018, the movement celebrated 40 years of activism, but we have dozens of bills stuck the closets of the legislative ho — like a bill crimalizg homophobia, a bill legalizg marriage equaly, and bills that addrs health-related issu, such as endg the rtrictn on blood donatn. Brazil’s first and only openly gay ngrsman has announced that he is leavg his job – and the untry – after receivg ath a newspaper terview on Thursday, Jean Wyllys said he was currently outsi of Brazil and had no plans to return after a growg number of threats over the past, who was re-elected October and had been set to beg a third term Febary, was a close iend of Marielle Fran, the gay R uncilwoman who was shot and killed along wh her driver parture is likely to add to fears among Brazil’s LGBT muny that homophobia is set to rise even further unr the ernment of print Jair Bolsonaro, who has won notoriety for his overt the terview, Wyllys said his cisn to leave wasn’t bee of Bolsonaro’s rise, but rather the climate of heated rhetoric and tensifyg vlence toward members of the LGBT muny the wake of last year’s heated electn mpaign. ”Wyllys first found natnal fame when he won Brazil’s versn of Big Brother, and went on to bee one of the untry’s most high-profile advot for gay rights – a role which led to equent attacks om the relig right.

’ And he’s right: I don’t want to sacrifice myself, ” Wyllys Congrs, Wyllys was equently at odds wh Bolsonaro, a ngrsman for 28 years wh a long history of homophobic, racist and sexist their most notor public clash, Wyllys sp towards Bolsonaro on the floor of the lower Hoe of Deputi after Bolsonaro dited his vote to impeach then-print Dilma Roseff to a dictatorship-era a tweet on Thursday, Wyllys said: “Prervg a threatened life is also a strategy to fight for better days. Dpe Brazil’s image as an clive natn that is home to the world’s largt gay para, homophobia is rampant, and often vlent.

BRAZIL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINTIAL CANDIDATE MAK HISTORY — AND SPARKS CRICISM

In 2017, at least 445 LGBT Brazilians died as victims of homophobia – a 30% crease om 2016. Brazilian ernor Eduardo Lee was met wh a mixed receptn after g out as gay amid his 2022 printial n. While the admissn mak him the untry’s first-ever openly gay printial ndidate, crics blasted Lee’s prev support of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s homophobic, far-right, a ndidate reprentg the centrist Brazilian Social Democratic party (PSDB) next year’s electns, opened up about his sexual orientatn for the first time a Thursday terview wh TV Globo, the untry’s largt televisn work.

'LULA IS GOD' COMMENT BY BRAZILIAN GAY ACTIVIST SENATOR SPARKS REACTN FROM EVANGELILS

“But durg this moment of low tegry Brazil, I have nothg to hi, I am gay. At 36, he is the natn’s youngt ernor to be currently servg office, and his g out mak him the first openly gay man to be ernor of a Brazilian his terview, Lee clarified that se himself as “a ernor who is gay, not a gay ernor. ”Many proment figur Brazil appld Lee for takg a stand agast homophobia and makg history the procs.

Fabiano Contarato, who beme the first openly gay reprentative the Brazilian Senate 2018, thanked the ernor for his “bravery” a Thursday tweet. LGBT is still a popular term ed to discs genr and sexual mori, but all GSRM are wele beyond lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people who nsent to participate a safe space. As the first openly-gay non-cumbent Republin elected to Congrs, Santos supports LGBTQ rights.

However, Congrsman and Pastor Mar Feliciano, who has been volved the ongog bate between gay activists and evangelils, strongly cricized her posture. "Marta Suplicy, assumed gay activist, always ridicul those who have fah, and now says that 'Lula is god.

GAY CIVIL UNNS PASSED BY BRAZILIAN SENATE

Suplicy was a key person attempts by gay activists to implement wily cricized gay material agast homophobia public schools, as well as a motn to crimalize "homophobia" the untry. The material was spend by Dilma Roseff after prsured by Christian puti earlier this year, but the so lled PLC 122 "homophobia" bill is still pendg the Brazilian have suggted that now Suplicy has taken on the role of Mister of Culture, she uld e a "headache" for evangelil Christians the untry, acrdg to Feliciano.

Brazil has bee the latt untry to pave the way for same-sex marriage after approved a measure on Thursday changg the legal fn of a "civil unn" to simply be between two people, whout makg exclive to a man and a measure passed the Brazilian senate, s first legislative step ngrs, after the issue had been disputed for 16 years, the Associated Prs Senate still do not approve of gay marriage, but Brazil's judiciary has already moved toward legalizg same-sex marriag after state urts last year began allowg civil unns between homosexuals to be nverted to full bill still needs to pass other Senate mte before gog to a full vote, but Sen.

BRAZILIAN PRINTIAL HOPEFUL EDUARDO LEE OUT AS GAY

Homosexualy Brazil remas a ntroversial issue. Brazilian Christians are largely agast civil unns, a 2010 poll found, wh only 35 percent of rponnts to the study clarg themselv favor of creatg homosexual civil issue was more divisive among the non-relig populatn, but even then a 56 percent majory clared themselv agast same-sex civil unns. Earlier this month, a Brazilian apologist fired back agast a BBC report that he says grossly overtimated the number of people attendg "all-clive, " or gay-iendly church around the untry.

One of Brazil’s leadg policians, the printial hopeful Eduardo Lee, has announced he is gay – a rare move celebrated by many as a triumph over prejudice a untry whose print has clared himself a proud, the 36-year-old ernor of the southern state of R Gran do Sul, ma the announcement on Thursday night durg an terview wh the untry’s top broadster, TV Globo.

FIRST OPENLY GAY BRAZILIAN 2022 PRINTIAL CANDIDATE RUNNG

“I’m gay – and I’m a ernor who is gay rather than a gay ernor. “I know the pa the prison of the closet reprents, particularly a nservative environment like polics, ” tweeted Fabiano Contarato, who beme Brazil’s first openly gay senator 2018.