Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has
claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages young
children to be gay and masturbate.
Bolsonaro, sometimes described as the
“Trump of the tropics,” has repeatedly clashed with the WHO over
its advice on dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Bolsonaro made the claim in a deleted
Facebook post, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
“This is the World Health
Organization whose advice on coronavirus some people want me to
follow,” he wrote.
“Should we follow their education
policy guidelines, too? For children zero to four years old:
satisfaction and pleasure when touching their bodies, masturbation. …
For children four to six years old: a positive gender identity …
masturbation in early childhood, same-sex relations. … Nine to 12
years old: first sexual experience.”
According to AFP, Bolsonaro was
misrepresenting information the WHO published in 2010. In a guide
titled “Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe,” the WHO's
European office briefly explained that children often touch
themselves and are curious about sexuality. But the WHO did not
encourage the behaviors claimed by Brazil's right-wing president.
Bolsonaro, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, has been at odds with the WHO over how to respond to
COVID-19, which he has described as a “little flu.”
Of the ten largest nations by
population, Brazil has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases
per capita after the United States and Russia. Those numbers could
climb as Brazil ramps up its testing, which lags far behind other
industrialized nations.