A former adult film star, Amaranta Hank, has been elected and sworn in as a senator in Bogotá, Colombia.
Real name Deyci Alejandra Omana Ortiz was sworn in as one of the 25 members of the Historical Pact caucus in the Senate of the Colombian Republic on Monday, July 20. She is from Cúcuta.
The Historic Pact — which happens to be Colombia’s outgoing president Gustavo Petro’s party — is the largest in the state senate, with 25 seats.
Ortiz, 33, was elected because she was 23rd on their list of candidates.
She was a former journalist who became a porn star in 2017 before leaving the industry two years later, turning to politics.
She was elected in March in the Norte de Santander region and is now working to ensure social security rights for adult content creators.
“These women have been unprotected by the state because, due to misinformation, prejudice and double standards, no one has declared to regulate it,” she said in a campaign video.
She has clapped back against critics who claim former adult stars shouldn’t run for office.
“Why can’t a woman who was in the adult industry aspire to a popularly elected office?” she said, citing past former porn stars turned politicians such as Ilona Staller – who rose to fame with her 1970s radio show “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” before becoming an Italian lawmaker.
“My experience allowed me to understand inequality, the struggle for freedom and the popular economy, arguments that I now promise to bring directly into legislative debate,” Ortiz said.
She was quoted by La Opinión thus: “Women had been segregated from many political spaces or had been used for political purposes, but without respecting their initiatives and their rights”.
