Times Square Marriott Should Drop Brazilian Prez Gala: State Sen

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — An event honoring right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro found a new venue after being dropped by the American Musuem of Natural History, but is again facing calls to be canceled.

State Senator Brad Hoylman said in a statement that the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square should cancel the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce’s gala honoring Bolsonaro because of homophobic and bigoted statements made by the South American world leader.

"President Bolsonaro has an extremely disturbing record of bigotry and misogyny. Among other things, he once said that he 'would be incapable of loving a homosexual son.' And that he would rather his son die than be gay," Hoylman said in a statement. "In addition, President Bolsonaro said a Brazilian Congresswoman was 'not worth raping' because 'she is very ugly.'"

"Given President Bolsonaro’s sordid record of public comments, I’m appalled that a business in my district would host an event in support of him."

Bolsonaro will be named the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce's "person of the year" during the gala, which is organized each year to honor individuals "who have distinguished themselves in promoting closer commercial, investment, or cultural ties between the U.S. and Brazil," according to the chamber's website. The event has been organized since 1970 and was moved to the American Museum of Natural History in 2017 from the Plaza Hotel. Up until 1990 the award was called "man of the year."

Previous honorees of the chamber include former mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Bill Clinton.

The New York Marriott Marquis agreed to host the event after the American Museum of Natural History backed out due to outrage over Bolsonaro's support for policies such as pushing indigenous people out of the Amazon, rolling back deforestation regulations and cutting scientific research in his home country.

Cipriani Wall Street also pulled out of hosting the event, Hoylman said in a statement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke against the event while it was still on track to be hosted by the museum. The mayor described the event as "really troubling" and said that Bolsonaro needs to be "confronted at all turns."

"This guy is a very dangerous human being, and he's dangerous not just because of his overt racism and homophobia but because he is unfortunately the person with the most ability to impact what happens to the Amazon going forward, and if the Amazon is desecrated and destroyed as a part of our global ecosystem, we are all in grievous danger," De Blasio said on his weekly WNYC "Ask the Mayor" appearance.