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Ex-prostitute running for office in Rio

A former prostitute turned anti-AIDS campaigner is making a run for state office in general elections in Brazil in October.

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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.


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


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