1. Jose Levy Fidelix da Cruz was a Brazilian conservative politician, businessman, and journalist.
16 Facts About Levy Fidelix
1. 2.
Levy Fidelix was the founder of the Brazilian Labour Renewal Party and ran for president of Brazil in the elections of 2010 and 2014.
3.
Levy Fidelix was particularly known in Brazil for his promise of building a bullet train system connecting Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and for his controversial declarations about homosexuals during a political debate in 2014.
4.
Levy Fidelix was born in the town of Mutum, Minas Gerais in 1951 to Jarbas Levy Fidelix, a merchant who worked in the field of transportation, and Lecy Araujo, an educator.
5.
Levy Fidelix moved to Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, and studied communication science at the Fluminense Federal University, but he did not graduate.
6.
Levy Fidelix worked for the government as a communications assistant and created Agricultura Urgente, the first national bulletin of agriculture.
7.
Levy Fidelix co-founded the business magazine Governo e Empresa and the political magazine O Poder.
8.
In 1984, Levy Fidelix co-founded the Liberal Party with Alvaro Valle.
9.
Levy Fidelix later switched to the Renovator Labour Party and contested his second election running for Federal Deputy.
10.
Levy Fidelix subsequently ran for Mayor of Sao Paulo in 1996, Governor of Sao Paulo in 1998 and 2002, Alderman of Sao Paulo in 2004, Federal Deputy in 2006, and Mayor of Sao Paulo in 2008.
11.
Levy Fidelix ran for Mayor of Sao Paulo in 2012 and again for President of Brazil in 2014, supporting the Brazilian military dictatorship.
12.
Levy Fidelix received 446,878 votes, again finishing seventh; this was the closest Fidelix came during his political career to winning an election.
13.
On 29 September 2014, during a debate among candidates of the 2014 presidential election hosted by RecordTV, Levy Fidelix stated that homosexuals "need psychological care" and were better kept "well away from [the rest of] us".
14.
Levy Fidelix said that Brazil's population of 200 million would be reduced by half if homosexuality were encouraged because "the excretory system" does not function as a means of reproduction.
15.
Levy Fidelix was asked to apologize but refused, believing that his statements were not offensive.
16.
Levy Fidelix's statements were condemned by opponents like Luciana Genro, Marina Silva, Aecio Neves, Dilma Rousseff, who later won the election, as well as organizations such as ABGLT, the Green Party, and even the Ministry of Human Rights.