Friday, August 25, 2023

A gay policeman gets paternity leave to take care of his daughter for first time in Brazil


Sergeant Valdi Barbosa, from the Military Police of Pernambuco, had a victory. Together with her husband, Rafael Moreira, he took a six-month paternity leave to take care of their newborn daughter, Sofia, the result of a "solidarity belly". This is the first time that such a case has happened in Brazil.

Valdi's battle to secure his paternity leave has not been an easy one. He faced bureaucracies, institutional resistance and a legal system that often showed that it did not know how to deal with new situations. 

Legally in Brazil, he would be entitled to 20 days of leave, until a longer term is released. The state tried to appeal the sentence, but the appeal was denied. The sergeant combined the six months of leave with his vacation and managed to spend eight months taking care of Sofia. 

"It's not my right, it's my daughter's. Some people might think that I wanted a right that belongs to mothers, but in fact it's the child's right, to have someone fully dedicated to her for six months", said Valdi.

Valdi always had the dream of being a father and his sister served as a supportive belly, in vitro fertilization, to give birth to his niece. The couple had to face many prejudices during their management and they would not stop fighting for paternity leave after everything they had been through.

Congratulations to the newlydads!!!



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