Brazil’s first openly gay politician has said that he will not return to the country after receiving death threats since the election of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro late last year.

Jean Wyllys, who was due to begin his third political term next month as a congressman representing Rio de Janeiro, said he no longer feels safe in Brazil after the assassination of a political ally last year and the homophobic rhetoric surrounding Bolsonaro’s victory.

“This environment isn’t safe for me,” Mr Wyllys, a congressman for the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberty (PSOL), told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S Paulo.

“I have to stay alive. I don’t want to be a martyr,” he said, adding that he has been targeted by death threats and a hostile social media campaign which accused him of promoting paedophilia.

Mr Bolsonaro’s victory in October 2018 sparked fear among Brazil’s LGBT+ community about a future under a leader who has frequently aired homophobic views.

Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Show all 8 1 /8 Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency A man holds an inflatable figure of jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrate in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, after the former army captain won Brazil's presidential election AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT), Fernando Haddad, react in Rio AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Police officers patrol the streets during a gathering of supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party (PT), is kissed by his wife Ana Estela Haddad Reuters Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency epa07128316 Supporters of Socialist candidate Fernando Haddad react after he was defeated by far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 28 October 2018. With 99.4 percent of ballots counted, Bolsonaro won the second round of the elections with 55.1 percent of the votes, compared to 44.9 percent obtained by Fernando Haddad, successor of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and candidate of the PT, or Workers Party. EPA/JULIO CESAR GUIMARAES JULIO CESAR GUIMARAES EPA Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT), Fernando Haddad, react in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won Brazil's presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 28, 2018. - Far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil on Sunday, beating leftist opponent Fernando Haddad in a runoff election after a bitter and polarized campaign. Official results gave the controversial president-elect 55.18 percent of the vote with more than 99.7 percent of the ballots counted. (Photo by Daniel RAMALHO / AFP)DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP/Getty Images DANIEL RAMALHO AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, celebrate in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, after the former army captain won Brazil's presidential election, according to official results that gave him 55.7 percent of the vote, on October 28, 2018. - Far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil on Sunday, beating leftist opponent Fernando Haddad in a runoff election after a bitter and polarized campaign. Official results gave the controversial president-elect 55.18 percent of the vote with more than 99.7 percent of the ballots counted. (Photo by Sergio LIMA / AFP)SERGIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images SERGIO LIMA AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro gather outside the Federal Police headquarters where Brazilâ€™s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is serving a prison sentence, after Bolsonaro wins the presidential race in Curitiba, Brazil October 28, 2018. REUTERS/Rodolfo Buhrer RODOLFO BUHRER REUTERS

In 2011, Mr Bolsonaro told a reporter that he would rather his son “die in a car crash” than be gay.

The far-right politician has also said in the past that he is “homophobic, with pride”.

Before entering politics, Mr Wyllys rose to fame after winning the Brazilian version of Big Brother as the show’s first openly gay participant.

Mr Wyllys described Mr Bolsonaro as a “a president who always vilified me, who always openly insulted me, who was always homophobic with me”.

Jair Bolsonaro speaks after winning Brazil presidential elections

He said that violence has increased in Brazil since Marielle Franco, another PSOL politician, was shot dead in Rio de Janeiro last March.

“I never believed the death threats against me would actually be carried out. “But when this execution of Marielle happened, I had a sense of the seriousness,” Mr Wyllys said.

In the newspaper interview, he said that he decided to move abroad following revelations that Mr Bolsonaro’s son had employed relatives of a former police officer suspected of involvement in Ms Franco’s assassination.

“To preserve one’s threatened life is also a strategy to fight for better days,” he said.

Mr Wyllys will be replaced by David Miranda, another gay politician from Rio de Janeiro who is married to American journalist Glenn Greenwald.