Brazil: Gay politician assaulted with stone to the head
A 25-year-old gay rights activist and politician in Brazil was assaulted with a stone to the head on Wednesday by an unknown man in a moving car.
Waldir Pires Bittencourt was campaigning in the streets of Macapá in Amapá state when the incident took place.
He told Vice that he was hit on the side of his forehead by a stone thrown from a moving car.
“You want to be a woman? Then you’ll get it as a woman,” his attacker allegedly shouted.
In the shock of the event, he was unable to write down the car’s license plate. However, he has since posted a picture of his injury onto Facebook, showing blood smeared down the side of his face.
The 25-year-old politician, who was campaigning to be a member of the House of Representatives, said he was “not the first victim.”
“Violence against LGBT people in our state is typical. I was not the first nor I will be the last as long as the state does not see this as a priority,” he added.
“I am not going to let it intimidate me as I have no time to be afraid. I will face whatever happens, and I will continue fighting.”
A post on his Facebook wall reads: “We live in a homophobic and violent country. It is where people who defend individual freedoms like me may at any time suffer aggression.”
