Gabriela Leite, 59, launched her campaign to become a Rio de Janeiro state congresswoman for the Green Party under the slogan "Puta Deputada," punning a Brazilian term that can mean either "deputy whore" or "hell of a deputy."
If elected, Leite has vowed to maintain her activism for rights for sex workers, according to her pamphlet published in the newspaper O Globo.
She has gained an international profile for launching a clothing label, Daspu, whose revenues go to providing a sort of pension for aging prostitutes and promoting prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
