Brazil: Education Minister Inquired After Homophobic Statements

The Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office requested the Supreme Court to open an inquiry on Education Minister Milton Ribeiro, after his statements associating homosexuality with dysfunctional families and negative upbringing.

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"They are dysfunctional families, some of them. The father's attention is missing, the mother's attention is missing. I see 12-year-old children that choose to be gay. It is a matter of values and principles," he said.

Ribeiro also announced his decision to modify sexual education programs alleging that they promote "the eroticization" of children and generate gender-related debates. 

Criticizing a sex education video made by a professor, he affirmed that such information should not be presented to adolescents because it fosters their interest in sexuality.

"Although they say it is to protect unwanted pregnancies, the truth is that telling the issue to hormone-laden teens is the same as an incentive. The important thing is to talk about how to prevent pregnancies but without encouraging gender-related discussions,” Ribeiro said.

This conservative presbyterian Shepperd, who leads the Education minister since mid-July, is the fourth minister acting under President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration.

After the Public Prosecutor’s Office issued the demand, Ribeiro apologized for his statement through social media and said that the audiences misunderstood his words.

"I never intended to discriminate or encourage any form of sexual-related discrimination. I affirm my respect for every Brazilian citizen, regardless of their sexual orientation or political and religious position," he said.