Delta Air Lines cuts ties with event in honor of Brazilian President



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Bolsonaro is expected to receive the annual personality award given by the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce at a lavish dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan on May 14th. The political personality of the far right won the election of his country by a wide margin last year. But he is also controversial and has been heavily criticized for his homophobic, racist and misogynistic remarks.
Delta (DAL) and Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, were among the sponsors of the event. They announced Tuesday that they would no longer be involved.

Delta declined to comment beyond confirming its decision. Bain said in a statement that "encouraging and celebrating diversity is a fundamental principle of Bath". And although the company still supports the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce, Bain said she had chosen not to sponsor the 2019 Personality Gala.

According to the CNBC, the Financial Times has also withdrawn its commitment. The Times did not respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.
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A host of other companies – including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New York Mellon Bank, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Forbes, HSBC, JPMorgan, UBS, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley – have also signed up as sponsors. Bank of America, Credit Suisse and BNY Mellon declined to comment on their presence in CNN Business. The others did not respond to a request for comment.

At the same time, Marriott International told CNN Business that "diversity and inclusion are integral to the culture and activities of our hotel." Society has always prioritized the inclusion of LGBT people.

"We welcome it for over 90 years and put the focus on people first," said the hospitality company in a statement. "The law requires us to accept business, even if it is in conflict with our values.The acceptance of business does not mean in any way support or approval from a group or company. ;one person."

Brazilian Bolsonaro, an extreme right-wing brand, sometimes referred to as "Trump of the Tropics", was elected in October and took office early this year.

Before being elected, he told a congressional woman that she did not deserve to be raped because she was "very ugly," reported the Brazilian TV channel Globo. And he once publicly declared that he would prefer that his son "accidentally die" rather than a member of his family be homosexual.

It has also been widely considered for its policies that include the removal of protections for the Amazon rainforest, a crucial terrain for the environment that is often called the "lungs of the world".
The US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce said on its website that Bolsonaro was honored for its "declared intention to foster closer commercial and diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States". The chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision of Delta and Bain to withdraw from the event.
Green and LGBTQ activist groups, including GLAAD, took the lead in the campaign against his nomination as Personality of the Year.

The American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, where the awards gala was originally scheduled to take place, dropped these plans amid criticism from organizations.

"[W]We hope that the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce will follow suit and withdraw the award from an elected leader who targets LGBTQ Brazilians for unequal treatment by law, "said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
In recent years, companies have become increasingly willing to take a public stand on issues of social justice and boycott or sponsorship events. Last year, for example, more than a dozen companies canceled their discount offers to members of the National Rifle Association after the powerful lobbying group opposed the reform of control. firearms following a new shootout at a high school last year.

– Kate Trafecante from CNN contributed to this report.

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