Brazil’s far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro, has again whipped up homophobic sentiment with his most recent comments on COVID-19.
At a press conference on Tuesday at the Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Bolsonaro suggested Brazil couldn’t grind to a halt in its efforts to slow transmission of the coronavirus.
“I regret the deaths. I really do. But all of us are going to die one day,” he told journalists, according to AFP. “There is no point in escaping from that, in escaping from reality. We have to stop being a country of fags (maricas). We have to face up to it and fight. I hate this f****t stuff”
“Maricas” is a slang Portuguese term for gay men, which is best translated as “sissies” or “fags.” Some media outlets have translated it as “sissies” but others have gone with “fags.”
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Bolsonaro’s comments come despite Brazil having the second-highest COVID death rate in the world. With over 162,000 deaths, it is second only to the U.S. It has had over 5.7million reported cases, and health experts believe that could be a serious undercount of the true number. Bolsonaro was diagnosed with the virus in July.
Prior to his own diagnosis, he had reportedly mocked staff who wore facemasks, saying they were, “coisa de viado”. Another homophobic slur, this roughly translates as “for fairies”.
Related: Brazil’s Bolsonaro said masks were “for fairies” – before he got COVID-19
Bolsonaro has a history of homophobia. Back in 2011, he said in an interview with Playboy, “I would be incapable of loving a gay son”, suggesting it would be better for such a son to die in a car accident.
In 2018, during a filmed interview, Bolsonaro said, “Yes, I’m homophobic – and very proud of it.”
Last year, Bolsonaro spoke out about allowing Brazil to become a “gay tourism paradise.”
Bolsonaro is a major ally of President Donald Trump. He remains one of the few, major world leaders to not yet offer congratulations to Joe Biden on becoming President-Elect.
Related: Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro slams nation’s gay tourism as affront to “families”
rbernard
It is going to take some time to rid the world of the backwards facing influences of authoritarians like Jair Bolsonaro, Donald Trump, etc…
Chrisk
Damn. That’s a face that right out of central casting as the Bond Villain. I have a feeling this shithead will be another “President” for life. Much like Putin.
succubus
shut up fool
Gadfeal
To all ignorant, brainwashed homophobes. Let me tell you a thing about courage. Can you imagine a child being subjected to 10 or more years of being told that their very being is “wrong”, “sinful” from your Church, your family, your peers and mass media messaging but keep your mouth shut? Can you imagine the incomprehension and lack of life experience with no adult “haven” to address why your very being is being judged and questioned?
Only the most resilient can come out of that relatively unscathed and it is no wonder that many people who share that experience (not just gays but any “different” from the others) for all of one’s childhood may required a few years of “deprogramming” and adjustment.
The closest parallel I can think of for bigots like Bolsonaro would be the children of foreign sleeper agents (as in “The Americans”) who grow up being told that their parents are “malevolent” but look like their peers. That sort of metaphysical burden, if borne entirely by an isolated child, would be unbearable to most people and drive them to distraction – for something over which they had no choice.
Every time I see a reasonably adjusted gay man, I consider them being able to survive a form of brainwashing and mental torture as a child.
That said, even though they may initially lack the intellectual maturity, today’s children have access to information on the Internet, and an ability to find sympathetic helpers that didn’t exist until the past two decades.
bachy
Your beautiful post brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
SeaNMtnsJon
I’m just reading this now in May 2021. I love this comment. What a powerful, true comment.
TheRedLine
Monkey brain. Tell that to the frontliners, Bolsonaro.
Raphael
As much as I hate this POS, that’s not exactly what he said. “Maricas” it’s mostly used as a slang for coward. When used in a homophobic sense, which is rare nowadays, it definitely means “sissie”. The one after that it’s wrong as well, “coisa de viado” doesn’t translate as “for fairies”, that one actually means “for fags”.
WashDrySpin
As with her in the USA…Brazil elected an idiot
succubus
that’s an impossible request. have any of you been there?
enlightenone
Did he say this while wearing a diaper and handcuffed to his “Daddy’s” bed?
Leash
you know what, I didn’t study and I may do too much weed, but I think I could be president, looking at what it apparently takes for some countries
trojanboy
The devil moves in mysterious ways.