Brazil’s first openly gay governor wins re-election

[Sadauskas]

The first openly gay governor of Brazil on Sunday won re-election.

Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite, a member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, defeated Onyx Lorenzoni of the right-wing Liberal Party who is President Jair Bolsonaro's former chief-of-staff, by a 57.12-42.88 percent margin.

Lorenzoni defeated Leite in the election's first round that took place on Oct. 2, but neither received at least 50 percent of the vote. A runoff election took place on Sunday.

"Rio Grande spoke louder," tweeted Leite after he defeated Lorenzoni. "I appreciate all the votes (we) received. It's out of love, it's out of respect, it's for the project. Starting today, we start another chapter of our history. It is all of us for all of us — and we go much further!"

Leite, 37, became governor of Brazil's southernmost state in 2019. He came out in July 2021 during an interview with a late-night talk show host.

Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, who is also a member of the Liberal Party, on Sunday lost to former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the leftist Workers' Party in the second round of Brazil's presidential election.

Leite in 2018 endorsed Bolsonaro, despite his rhetoric against LGBTQ and intersex Brazilians and his opposition to marriage equality and other issues. Leite, who unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination to run against Bolsonaro in this year's presidential election, has sharply criticized the soon-to-be-former president over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Leite is one of the 324 openly LGBTQ candidates who ran in this year's gubernatorial, state legislative, congressional and presidential elections.

Two transgender women — São Paulo Municipal Councilwoman Erika Hilton of the leftist Socialism and Liberty Party and Belo Horizonte Municipal Councilwoman Duda Salabert of the leftist Democratic Labor Party — on Oct. 2 won seats in Congress. Fábio Felix, a gay member of the Socialism and Liberty Party who is a member of the Federal District's Legislative Chamber in Brasília, the country's capital, also won re-election on Oct. 2.

SOURCE: washingtonblade.com


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