Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures during a press conference amidst the coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic. (Photo by Andressa Anholete / Getty Images)

Brazil’s far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro has taken heterosexual nonsense to its natural conclusion by refusing to do anything about coronavirus because he thinks he’s too macho for it to impact him.

Protests were sparked in the country after a televised address in which the leader downplayed the threat of coronavirus as “fear-mongering” and called for an end to regional lockdowns.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro response to coronavirus is an incoherent mess.

There have been 46 deaths and 2,200 confirmed cases in Brazil so far, but the leader claimed: “The virus has arrived and we are fighting it and soon it will pass.

“Our lives have to go on. Jobs must be kept… We must, yes, get back to normal.”

Bolsonaro perpetuated multiple myths about the virus by comparing it to flu, and claiming that he – a 65-year-old who would be considered in the at-risk group – would not be adversely impacted.

He said: “With my history as an athlete, if I were infected with the virus I would have no reason to worry. I would feel nothing, or it would be at most just a little flu.”

Several officials close to Bolsonaro have tested positive for coronavirus, but the macho Brazilian leader – who has been tested twice – insists he has not had it despite reports to the contrary.

Unlike in other countries, action in Brazil has largely been driven by local and regional leaders, due to Bolsonaro’s refusal to tackle the crisis.

Governor of São Paulo João Doria said earlier this week: “Action should be being conducted by the federal government, but this is not happening. Governors are taking on this responsibility, and in my view, doing it mostly right.”

He expressed “disappointment and sadness” with Bolsonaro’s response, adding: “As governor of state, I would like to have a president who would lead the country in a crisis like this, and who does not minimise problems by saying that coronavirus is like a flu.”

Bolsonaro’s hetero nonsense is usually aimed at queer people.

Really, the only difference between Bolsonaro in a crisis and Bolsonaro in general is that this time it’s everyone who bears the brunt of his humanity deficit.

The politician told Playboy in 2011 that he would rather his son die than be gay, saying: “I would be incapable of loving a gay son. I prefer that he die in an accident.”

During his 2018 presidential campaign, Bolsonaro said that he stood by his claim that he would punch gay people if he saw them kissing in public.

Standing by the comments, the candidate compared gay kisses to “a paedophile’s right to have sex with a 2-year-old”.

Bolsonaro has also claimed that gay people try to convert children “to satisfy their sexuality in the future”.

He has claimed: “I make a connection between homosexuality and paedophilia because many of the children who will be adopted by ‘gay’ couples will be abused by these homosexual couples.”

In April 2019, the president declared that Brazil must not become a “gay tourism paradise”.