Brazil can not be famous as a gay paradise

Jair Bolsonaro unleashed a new controversy in Brazil stating that his country should not become a paradise for gay tourism. "If you want to come make love to a woman, go for it," added the South American giant's president at a breakfast with reporters. A few hours later, Bolsonaro ordered the dismissal of the director of a public bank for endorsing a friendly advertising campaign with the gay community and racial diversity.

Bolsonaro, a fundamentalist Christian, is not new to this type of statement. Yesterday, he told reporters: "We can not let this place (Brazil) be recognized as a paradise for gay tourism, we have families," he added. The statement is anachronistic because Brazil has been a paradise for gay tourism since the 1980s. Bolsonaro's words have had a significant impact and have been condemned by the LGBT community. "This is not a head of state, it's a national disgrace," said David Miranda, a congressman from Rio de Janeiro, in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian. "It stains the image of our country in every way imaginable," he said. For its part, Jean Wyllys, another prominent LGBT activist, said such comments "incite hatred" against minorities.

The journalists consulted the president about his homophobic image abroad. He replied that it did not scare investments but Brazilian families.

antecedents

This is not the first time that Jair Bolsonaro makes such comments. A few months ago, during the election campaign, he added that he was "homophobic and proud of being". With this ultraconservative profile, Bolsonaro obtained 55% of the votes in the Ballotation last November. The explicit support that he received from popular evangelicals played a fundamental role in his victory over leftist Fernando Haddad, of PT's former president Lula.

The condemnation of Bolsonaro's figure extends to cities abroad. In early April, the American Museum of Natural History in New York canceled an act in honor of Bolsonaro. The mayor of New York, the leftist Bill de Blasio, supported the decision and described the head of state as "a very dangerous human being". De Blasio is a benchmark for the LGBT sectors in the US, but Bolsonaro is supported by conservative sectors that identify with President Donald Trump.

Dismissal for an advertisement

A few hours after his resounding homophobic statement, Bolsonaro ordered the Bank of Brazil to advertise badual diversity. The president of the Bank of Brazil, Rubem Novaes, dismissed the director of the institution and withdrew an advertising campaign aimed at young audiences with actors representing racial and badual diversity. The campaign, ongoing since early April, was suspended on the 14th by order of the president after watching on television. In advertising, young actors, black, tattooed and transbadual participate.

Bolsonaro called Novaes to demand not only the withdrawal of the campaign, but also the dismissal of the marketing director of Banco do Brasil, Delano Valentin, reported the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

The entity confirmed the president's appeal to Novaes and indicated that the bank's manager had responded to Bolsonaro's demands.

Officially, Novaes stated that it was "a decision taken together". However, sources close to both claim that the bank's president did not attend the campaign until Bolsonaro came into contact.

Valentín began his vacation shortly after the withdrawal of the announcement.

Since Novaes took over the presidency of Banco do Brasil, he has commissioned his marketing and technology teams to plan to attract young people with a more modern language and Internet services that can compete with fintechs, a threat big banks. .