A mother and daughter were confronted by an official after being mistaken for a couple while posing for photos on a beach in Brazil.
Marileia and her daughter Karina were enjoying the sun and taking photos when officials received complaints that a ‘lesbian couple’ was showing disturbing acts on the beach in front of many children.
A Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation official then confronted the mother and daughter after they had hugged for a picture.
Daughter Karina from Santa Catarina said she was with her husband, mother, and stepfather when an official approached confronted them.
“He wasn’t rude, but he came asking, ‘Do you know the rules of the (Fernando de Noronha Marine National) Park?’
“We thought we might have done something wrong, like swimming in a forbidden area.
“Then he said, ‘It’s because I’ve received a complaint from some people up there over a ‘lewd act’ between two women.’ No one understood.”
The mother then realized that the ‘lewd act’ could’ve been when they were posing for a photo on the sand, which was taken only a few minutes earlier.
Marileia then told the official that Karina was her daughter.
“I realised at the time that it was because of prejudice or homophobia,” Karina said.
“We’d been travelling for six days, both with our husbands, and there’d been no problem. When we said we were mother and daughter, I saw that he got all embarrassed.”
The family stayed on the beach for 15 minutes more but when they returned to their car, the front windscreen of their vehicle had been smashed.
“The feeling we got was of fear when we saw the smashed buggy. And what if it had been just me and my mum, like on previous occasions?” Karina expressed.
“Maybe I’ve only gone through this situation a couple of times in my life, but if we were a couple, what would be the problem? Can’t gay people go to Noronha?”
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Replaced!