Brazil court overrules Rio mayor on ban of gay kiss in ‘Avengers’ comic

ABOVE: Marvel’s first kiss between same-sex couple Wiccan and Hulkling in “Avengers: The Children’s Crusade.” (Photo from Twitter)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) | A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has blocked efforts by Rio de Janeiro’s conservative mayor to have a book fair remove a comic book showing two men kissing.

Mayor Marcelo Crivella had ordered the Bienale to remove the comic “Avengers: The Children’s Crusade” that included the kiss, saying he was acting to protect children against “sexual content.”

“It is not everyday that comics make the front page of the largest newspaper in Brazil,” wrote author Rodrigo Zeidan on Twitter. “The reason? Rio de Janeiro’s (evangelical bishop turned politician) mayor requested that the largest book fair in the country recall an Avengers comic book because of a gay kiss in it.”

Crivella had first posted a video to Twitter criticizing the same-sex kiss as a “subject that does not agree with children’s ages.”

That set off a legal battle as federal Attorney General Raquel Dodge challenged the move by Crivella, a former evangelical pastor. She said allowing the mayor to remove books goes against freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas.

A lower court sided with Crivella. But chief justice Jose Dias Toffoli ruled in favor of Dodge Sept. 8, blocking the mayor from removing any books. Crivella’s office said he will appeal to the full court.

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