Graça Maria da Fonseca Caetano Gonçalves (born 13 August 1971)[6] is a Portuguese politician who served as Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister António Costa since 15 October 2018[update].[5][7] Fonseca graduated with a law degree from the University of Lisbon, has a master's degree in economics from the University of Coimbra, and obtained a PhD in sociology from ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon. From 26 November 2015 to 15 October 2018,[8] Fonseca served as Secretary of State Assistant and of Administrative Modernisation.[9]
Graça Fonseca | |
|---|---|
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| Minister of Culture | |
| In office 15 October 2018 – 30 March 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | António Costa[1] |
| Preceded by | Luís Filipe Castro Mendes[1] |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Adão e Silva |
| Secretary of State Assistant and of Administrative Modernisation | |
| In office 26 November 2015 – 15 October 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | António Costa[2] |
| Preceded by | Gonçalo Saraiva Matias[3] |
| Succeeded by | Luís Goes Pinheiro[4] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 August 1971 Lisbon, Portugal[5] |
When she came out publicly, in an interview to newspaper Diário de Notícias in 2017,[10] she was the first gay member of a government cabinet ever to disclose their sexual orientation in Portugal.[11] Since taking office as Minister of Culture in 2018, she is the first openly gay Portuguese government minister.[12]
In July 2020, when asked by a reporter about the pressure cultural workers were facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of responding to the question, she said she had to leave for a late-afternoon drink, using an anglicism that some critics considered insensitive.[13] Her response was widely panned by the Portuguese press.[14][15][16]