‘Mom, I Want to Be a Boy!’ Author Files Habeas Corpus Complaint

The author of the book “Mom, I Want to Be a Boy” said this Sunday that she will file a complaint against members of the Habeas Corpus association after they invaded a performance at the Rayano Cultural Center in Idanha-a-Nova on Saturday afternoon.

“The complaint will be filed today at the PSP in Castelo Branco. I don’t know if the videos recorded will be of any use, but I will present them because it is clear that they are trying to attack people,” said Ana Rita Almeida.

In an interview with the Lusa agency, the author of the book, published in May this year, explained that more than ten people attacked the presentation, causing disrespect in the final segment of the event, while she was already preparing to recite a poem and move on to the autograph session.

“It was monstrous to be disrespected and misinformed: they were shouting, ‘It ends here,’ asking why a homosexual book was being supported. I was escorted out of the room along with the mayor, who had also intervened a few minutes earlier,” he described.

According to the author, a few days before the presentation of the book, included in the XXIV Fair Ryan program, elements of Habeas Corpus began to move and organize to invade it.

“They tried to organize a bus to bring 50 protesters, but they couldn’t do it until former judge Rui Fonseca e Castro said he would pay the expenses of anyone willing to go to Idanha,” he said.

The location of the presentation was ultimately not publicly revealed: it was originally planned to be held outdoors, but was moved at the last minute to the Rayano Cultural Center, “precisely to avoid their presence.”

“Yesterday [sábado] In the morning I already went to the PSP to file a complaint, after the movements I noticed I left it open and waited to see what would be in the complaint. The presentation was attended by representatives of the PSP, there were people in civilian clothes and two patrols in the audience,” he added.

The author also told Luce that on June 10 she participated in a book signing session at the Lisbon Book Fair, where elements of Habeas Corpus appeared.

“Because there were so few of them, they simply followed me without realising it, but later reported it on social media,” where they left a series of negative comments.

In the following days, she saw her social media “filled” with comments calling her “a pedophile paid by Freemasonry and the socialist government of António Costa to promote homosexuality among children.”

There were also posts on the social media of the corporation where she works as a volunteer firefighter, in which comments “had to be disabled due to their content.”

“They were harassing me not only on social media but also at my second job, where I work as a volunteer firefighter. I didn’t initially file a complaint, thinking that the hateful comments would go away and that no one had really harmed my safety,” he said.

Ana Rita Almeida emphasized that her book tells the story of a girl who “does not fit into what society dictates for a girl: feminine and loving to play with dolls.”

“This girl is different, a few years ago we would have called her a typical ‘boy Maria’. She likes to play with cars, throw a ball, wear shorts, and when she goes to school she is afraid that other girls will not do this. They played with her, but the children did not want to know,” he said.

The book tells of the insecurities a girl reveals to her mother, “saying that deep down she wants to be a boy” and receiving a message of comfort and acceptance from her mother.

“We were faced with the issue of gender identity, but the way the story is written, the reader has the freedom to interpret the side of the story that is most comfortable for them,” he concluded.