Brazilian actor Amaury Lorenzo received death threats over same-sex kiss on TV

Openly gay Brazilian actor Amaury Lorenzo has revealed that he faced homophobic abuse and death threats after having a same-sex kiss on TV.

The actor, who came out as gay back in October, stars in popular Brazilian soap opera Terra e Paixão as closeted cowboy Ramiro, who develops a flirtation with queer activist Kelvin, played by actor Diego Martins, who is also openly gay.

In a rather rare occurrence for primetime Brazilian TV, the same-sex pairing has become a fan-favourite among viewers. 

While there have been some LGBTQ+ characters on Latin American broadcast networks in the past, they have been few and far between, and have never had much audience support.

But Ramiro and Kelvin’s love story has changed the game. Fans have even come up with their own ship name: “Kelmiro”, Gay Times reports.

So, when Ramiro and Kelvin shared their first kiss on a new episode of Terra e Paixão on 12 December, it was a big deal.

In fact, the kiss episode earned record-breaking ratings for TV station Globo – which is a pretty big deal, since Globo is the largest commercial TV network in Latin America, according to Out.

But, while “Kelmiro” shippers were thrilled to see the same-sex kiss, the scene sparked a wave of bigotry and homophobia from more conservative viewers.

The backlash has been so intense that Amaury Lorenzo had to take to social media this week to call out the abusive messages and death threats he had been receiving because of his involvement.

It was extremely unfortunate timing for Lorenzo, who had learned the day before the episode aired that he had won the award for Breakout Actor of the Year at this year’s Globo Best of the Year Awards.

In a post to his Instagram Story, Lorenzo wrote:  “I’ve received death threats over the course of the night, besides offenses regarding who I am and what my job is. Everything is in the hands of Justice. All of this… because of an award.

“Last night, this morning, and this afternoon were all difficult. Hell-ish. That’s why I’ve been absent from social media. However, as an artist, I emanate love. And people who follow me also emanate love. Not death.”

Lorenzo’s continued: “But for Amaury the child, who, at nine years old, was shot on his back because he took ballet classes. For Amaury the artist, who had to choose between having food or having a residence, or neither of them.

“For Amaury the Black man, who continues to be made invisible and constantly hears that he isn’t Black. For Amaury the LGBTQ+ man, who has witnessed death standing right in front of him for the simple fact of being who he is. For all of this, for Amaury, a death threat no longer has that strength.”

Lorenzo concluded by thanking the “human beings who save [his] life every day” with their love and support.

“Let’s focus on the love and the reception of this scene that we’ve all been waiting for. That’s what matters. The love. Nothing else matters besides love. Diego [Martins] and I have been fighting for this [scene] for months, restlessly. So it’s time to focus on love.

“And when someone wishes death upon you, wish back even more love to that person. Love can save lives. Thank you for saving me with so much love. Now, let me go cry a little bit over here. Love you all.”