Scandal in Uruguay: a pro-government senator was accused of child sexual abuse by a trans militant and defended himself in Congress

A sex scandal shocks Uruguay after the denunciation of a trans activist from the ruling National Party against the senator Gustavo Penadeswho accused of pedophilia and sexual abuse. In a press conference on Wednesday, the 57-year-old man revealed he was gay but denied the facts and said he would bring the woman who accused him to justice.

Romina Celeste Papasso, a member of the ruling Uruguayan National Party (PN), accused the senator of his own political strength of child sexual abuse. The woman claimed she had two sexual relationships with Penadés when she was 13 and she hadn’t yet started her transition. Additionally, she noted that the Senator gave him money as a “gift” after the deed.

Faced with the scandal, Penadés, senator between 2005 and 2015, and since March 2020, held a press conference in which he said that “for now” he continues with his position and denied the facts.

“I have never cheated on or denied my sexual orientation, but what I don’t admit is that someone can accuse me of being a paedophile because I have it,” replied Penadés, who until now had not declared publicly that he was homosexual but did claimed to have passed pro-gay laws LGBTQ+ community.

There is also controversy because the senator was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, the area in charge of investigating the complaint.

While underlining that the accusations against him are intended to subject him to “public ridicule”, he announced that he is at the disposal of the Justice and that he will initiate legal actions “against all active participants in these slanders”.

Several hours before the press conference, the militant posted a photo on her social networks: “Dirty rat, ran out of money with a minor and entered the ATM. Now you are still a victim. All photos and videos tomorrow at 11. Not with the children!”

The statements of the activist, who currently leads his own group within the PN, called JxP, began on social networks on Sunday and were disseminated in the following days in various media.

In his first statement, Papasso, who achieved popularity among right-wing militants for, among other actions, making graffiti in the colors of the PN to cover those of Uruguay’s left-wing coalition, the Broad Front, took aims the politician without saying his name.name.

The statements were motivated by a statement in which Penadés assured the press that he was unaware that she was a member of the National Party.

In the last few hours, the activist has also published several images that other alleged victims have sent her to demonstrate their meetings with Penadés in which she accused the senator of paedophilia.

After the Penadès conference, the activist told the local newspaper The observer that he took his words “as a public apology” and that the senator “will have to think carefully about what he will do” because now “it will be a petition against several people”.

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