The story of the gay cartoon that puts the mayor of Rio de Janeiro in check

In 2010, Marvel released in the United States the edition of his youth comic book Avengers, the children's crusade # 9, 264 pages. Six years later, it began to be sold in Brazil, even though this weekend, the comic remained in the eye of the storm. The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, ordered a censorship operation for one of the scenes that appear in the book: a gay kiss between the characters of Wiccan and Hulkling, who in the plot have a romantic relationship. In the illustration, they appear dressed and embraced. This scene provoked a great deal of indignation in the local evangelical community and triggered an unpublished judicial attempt to withdraw copies of the city's biennale. They considered them "inappropriate" for teenagers. A scandal that ended with the intervention of the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil (STF).

Through his Twitter account, the president of Rio, nephew of the owner of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, announced last Thursday that the magazine could not be sold during the event .

"We must protect our children", he said in a decisive video, indicating that the comic strip broadcast "badual content for minors". His public appearance on this topic was not spontaneous, but appeared after a wave of criticism of the conservative sector that questioned the gay kiss between the protagonists. The critics had started with WhatsApp and quickly echoed within the government.

To ensure that the cartoon was censored at the Biennale, the mayor ordered an inspection led by the city's undersecretary of public order, Colonel of the Military Police, Wolney Dias, who participated at the cultural event with a group of inspectors.

However, when they arrived at the complex, they found no specimens: Friday, they were already exhausted. Outraged by the situation, the organizers of the demonstration denounced the fact that the municipal government had forced them to seal and pack the books containing "scenes not suitable for minors" and presented an amparo before the Supreme Court of Justice.

"The direction of the festival understands that, in the event that a visitor acquires a work that does not please him, he has the right to demand a change of product, in accordance with the Code of the defense of the consumers", he explained at the Biennial, an activity proclaimed as an "open and diverse cultural party" offering specific activities for the LGBT public.

The Crivella order not only had an adverse effect on readers who, in one day, bought all the numbers available at the fair, but also did not have the legal backing.

Sunday, last day of the exhibition, the STF Forbidden to censor any type of publication that addresses LGBT issues. This judicial setback became a relief for those who feared that this mayor's initiative would go beyond the event and have an impact on the fight for the rights of the community.

Crivella, former bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), was elected in October 2016 with nearly 60% of the vote, but its popularity quickly erodedIn March 2018, 58% of Rio residents disapproved of their management, according to the latest survey conducted by the Datafolha Institute.