From Human Rights Watch

Brazil´s Congress has lost an important voice for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people at a time when it is most needed: Jean Wyllys, an openly gay member of Congress, has announced he will give up his seat over fears for his life.

“I want to take care of myself and remain alive,” said Wyllys, who said he will live abroad.

During two terms in office, Wyllys, born into a poor family in 1974, was an unwavering defender of human rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. That made him a favorite target of harassment and intimidation from religious zealots who see homosexuality as a sin.

He endured a deluge of false accusations on social media – which he kept refuting on his webpage – and has reported receiving multiple threats.

A turning point came in March 2018, when unknown assailants gunned down human rights activist and councilwoman Marielle Franco, a defender of the poor, Afro-Brazilians, and LGBT people in Rio de Janeiro, the state that Wyllys represented in Brasilia.

Wyllys says that Franco’s murder made him realize the seriousness of the threats against him. Wyllys had reported them to the Federal Police, but he complained that the investigation led nowhere. In November 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found his life was “at grave risk” and the state was not doing enough to protect him.

Read full report here.