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RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decided Friday to cancel a trip to New York after several weeks of controversy over the decision of the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce to honor the leader of the right during his gala this year .
The chamber has made every effort to keep the event on track since it announced last month that Mr. Bolsonaro had been selected to receive his annual personality award. .
This honor provoked the indignation of environmental groups, gay activists and New York politicians, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who called Mr. Bolsonaro "A dangerous man" whose "declared racism, homophobia and destructive decisions will have a devastating impact on the future of our planet."
The reaction began when the American Museum of Natural History, which had agreed to organize the event before the announcement of the winner, was dismayed by the selection of Mr. Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro is in favor of facilitating the access of miners, loggers and farmers to protected areas in the Amazon and believes that indigenous groups have too much land reserved for their control.
House officials arranged to move the May 14 gala to the Times Square Marriott Marquis, which, along with the corporate sponsors, was pressured to pull out.
Arne Sorenson, Marriott's general manager, expressed his discomfort in a blog post, writes that society pledged to welcome "even those individuals whose views we might consider intolerant and non-inclusive".
But in recent days, Delta Air Lines, the Financial Times and Bain & Company have announced their decision to withdraw from the program as sponsors.
In telephone conversations and e-mail statements, representatives of some sponsors expressed their discomfort at celebrating Mr. Bolsonaro, who has a long history of sexist, racist and homophobic remarks.
Several major US banks and other financial institutions pledged Friday to sponsor the event. They included Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan and BNY Mellon.
In a statement, BNY Mellon said that he saw the event as an opportunity to "strengthen our commitment to promote the rights of L.G.B.T. +, in Brazil and around the world".
In a statement released late Friday, a spokesman for Bolsonaro said the president had decided to suspend his trip "in the face of deliberate attacks by the mayor of New York and pressure from interest groups."
This event was seen as a valuable opportunity for Mr. Bolsonaro and his team to present growth opportunities to investors, many of whom have drawn the hope of the election of a conservative leader, but are become suspicious then turbulent first months in power.
Last month, Bolsonaro said Brazil should not be a gay tourist destination because there are "families" in the country.
A woman who answered the phone at the Chamber of Commerce Friday evening said no one was able to comment. The website promoting the event had an error message on Friday. The chamber had also planned to honor State Secretary Mike Pompeo.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, who is gay and a strong critic of the event, expressed his joy.
"VICTORY: We faced the homophobic president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, and we won", he wrote on Twitter. "Hate does not have a home in New York."
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