Brazil has a new Minister of Human Rights, Family and Women under Jair Bolsonaro's presidency. Her name is Damares Alves and she has already rocked the boat with a Tweet that directly touches upon her supposed specialty of human rights.
After assuming office on the first of the year, Minister Alves has already tweeted, been under fire for a tweet, and deleted her Twitter.
One of the Tweets that garnered criticism said:
"Attention, attention! It's a new era in Brazil: Boys wear blue and girls wear pink!"
She can be heard repeatedly chanting this phrase in this video. Note, she is speaking in Brazil's language of Portuguese.
During her inauguration, she also proclaimed,
"A girl will be a princess and a boy will be a prince."
Alves' position is technically a new one.
When President Bolsonaro appointed Alves, a former evangelical pastor, to Minister of Human Rights, Family and Women, he effectively abolished the human rights ministry and created a new ministry that lumps women, family, human rights, and indigenous people into one group.
According to The Guardian, Alves' position has provoked outcry amongst human rights groups — such as feminists, indigenous peoples, and LGBT rights groups — due to their fear that human rights will be overlooked with so many groups being under Alves' responsibility.
Furthermore, Alves is the co-founder of a group that rescues indigenous children from various situations and evangelizes them. She is also a staunch opposer of abortion.
After Alves' outrageous comments supporting antiquated gender rules, the internet jumped to attention and called her out.
One such whistle blower was Maísa Silva, a Brazilian children's show host.
"Bro... when I was a kid and I started to choose my clothes, I chose less pink because I liked it... just as several of my friends did not like pink. It's over."
A famous Brazilian chef also added her voice to the outcry.
"Blue boys and pink girls. That's cute. It was so easy to sort out. How have we not noticed before! Just buy the right color clothes!!!! I'm already changing the profile picture. Sorry."
But they were not the only ones with a bone to pick with the new minister's words.
"paola da cielo I wore blue yesterday, so I feel my balls are born"
"Putz, how the Damares Alves will know that the princesses wear blue? Sure color has gender and they're boys right"
"Bro, almost 6 million of children without a parent in the registry, femicide out of control, more than 20 million single mothers, domestic violence, adultery, fathers not paying alimony, children living on the street, and the minister is concerned that boys have to wear blue. Bro. Fuck you."
"Boys dress blue. Girls dress pink, and the goths stay where? We do not have a gender now? Brazil is lost."
"Someone explain to me why Pastor Damares is wearing blue if it's a man's color."
"'boys wear blue and girls wear pink' Uh"
"I have a pink shirt with blue. Am I hermaphrodite?"
"Man, this woman can only have shit on her head."
"About this boy talk, blue girl, pink girl, I'm more worried if the children have what to wear, what to eat and where to study"
There are actual important issues that the Brazilian Minister of Human Rights, Family and Women should be focusing on.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
