Social media users around the world were outraged as Brazil elected as president a man who said he’d rather see his son dead than gay and would punch men if he saw them kissing on the street.
Far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro won a majority of the vote in a runoff Sunday over Fernando Haddad, a liberal who is currently the mayor of Sao Paulo, CNN reports. The two had been the top finishers in an earlier round of voting a few weeks ago but were forced into a runoff because neither received 50 percent of the vote. The incumbent, Michel Temer, did not seek reelection.
Among Bolsonaro's homophobic statements, he has said he would rather a son of his die in an accident than be gay, and he once told actress Ellen Page she was "escaping normality" because she is a lesbian. He has also made many misogynistic and racist comments and has roused the ire of environmentalists with his plans to open Brazil's rainforest to industrial development.
His election, in a nation beset by corruption scandals, brought strong and swift reaction from the likes of former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Powers, transgender actress Jen Richards, and more. Donald Trump, however, called to congratulate him, as did many other world leaders.
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