Puerto Rico’s governor to resign after homophobic messages cause 12 days of protests
Former Attitude cover star Ricky Martin led one of the protests
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló will resign following protests after a journalist posted a plethora of homophobic and misogynistic messages.
The 40-year-old politician refused to stand down as governor after 900 pages of text were leaked and revealed political corruption, homophobic and misogynistic message and also mocked the Hurricane Maria victims.
Following this came 12 consecutive days of protests on the island with former Attitude cover star Ricky Martin leading one of the protests.
Now, Rosselló has announced that he will finally step down and Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez will take over as the new governor.
In his speech, Rosselló said: “Today I feel that to continue in this position represents a difficulty for the success of the country.
“After listening to the demands, speaking to my family, thinking about my children and prayer, I have made the following decision.
“With sadness, I am announcing that I will be resigning from the position of governor.”
“What I wish most is peace and progress for my people,” he added in his resignation statement.
His resignation will take effect on August 2.