Ricky Martin posted a video to his Instagram account on Thursday celebrating the resignation of Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló following days of mass protests in which Martin took part.
Wrote Martin on Instagram: “Puerto Rico we did it. And we did it in peace. With no guns, like Gandhi. We demanded respect and we were heard. Respect for our children, respect for our women, respect for the LGBT community, respect for our dead. This will never happen again. We won't let anyone walk all over us again. We will be attentive, vigilant. There's so much to do now. It is now we need to work more than ever. We succeeded today because we were united. For many decades Puerto Rico was divided. NOT ANY MORE. I am hopeful of our new generation that is instinctively moving things forward. And now, we turn the page. I see a very bright future. “
“I now feel very calm as I celebrate,” he added. “It's been a roller coaster of emotions. From anger to joy (I've cried like crazy). This has been a birth.
We now can achieve anything we want. We are an example. No more corruption, no more trash. WE'VE RESCUED OUR ISLAND.
And now, go out to the streets. GO AND CELEBRATE but please DO NOT DROP THE BALL. EYES WIDE OPEN FROM NOW ON.
I want to thank the members of the press for keeping us informed. Thank you. Because of your outstanding job, the whole world listened. I am sure some “Leaders of the world” won't be able to sleep tonight. I'm sure some are nervous. We've written a powerful page in history tonight. PUERTO RICO, ESTAMOS BIEN. Te amo. 🇵🇷🔥🇵🇷”
The calls to resign began after conversations from a private chat group administrated by Rosselló revealed misogynistic, homophobic, and profane comments.
The group chat, on the messenger app Telegram, include 11 political figures close to Rossello, including Christian Sobrino, the government's chief financial officer, and Luis Gerardo Rivera Marín, the State secretary and interim governor.
The NYT reported: ‘Mr. Rosselló, 40, apologized on Thursday after an excerpt from the chat was first published by local media showing he had referred to Melissa Mark-Viverito, the former speaker of the New York City Council, who was born in Puerto Rico, using the Spanish word for “whore.” In English, he also used a profane expression in reference to the oversight board that controls Puerto Rico's finances, followed by emojis of a raised middle finger.'
Among the homophobic remarks were repeated references to Popular Democratic Party senator Eduardo Bhatia using the Spanish word for c**ksucker,'
There were also remarks about Ricky Martin, according to El Nuevo Dia: ‘Sobrino says homophobic comments about singer and actor Ricky Martin. “Nothing says patriarchal oppression like Ricky Martin”, he wrote, later saying, “Ricky Martin is such a male chauvinist that he f**ks men because women don't measure up. Pure patriarchy.”'