Bolivia's President Apologizes for Calling His Health Minister a Lesbian

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales apologized Tuesday for calling his Health Minister a lesbian in an attempt at a joke.

“I don’t want to think you’re a lesbian,” he said to Ariana Campero, according to AFP, after he saw her speaking with another woman while he gave a speech.

Morales said in a statement that it was not his “intention to offend anyone.” The leftist leader has described himself as a “feminist” who tells “macho jokes.” He also tried to defend his comments by saying, “calling someone lesbian or gay is not an insult.”

But this is not the first time Morales has been accused of sexism or homophobia. He suggested in 2010 that men who ate chickens injected with female hormones would experience “deviances.” He also came under fire for laughing at lewd verses sung at a carnival celebration in 2012.

This is also not the first time 29-year-old Campero has been the victim of gratuitously offensive remarks. Vice President Alvaro Garcia told her to get married or risk becoming a single parent, AFP says, while former mayoral candidate Carlos Bru suggested she should work as a live-in maid and sexually service her employer.

[AFP]

Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights

Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, California, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Pride, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights rally, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights event, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Mark Rivett-Carnac at mark.rivett-carnac@timeasia.com.