Maurício Souza is married to Isabella Saldanha Castro and has two children, a girl and a boy.[3]
Statements about homosexuals
Souza has posted homophobic messages on his social networks in the past, which generated controversy. In 2014 he made a post against homosexuality but apologized after a public backlash. Another made in 2017 was removed ten hours later.[4]
In 2021, Souza criticized the comic characterJonathan Samuel Kent, who in the DC Universe is the son of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, for being revealed as bisexual.[5] After a negative reaction, Fiat and Gerdau, sponsors of Minas Tênis Clube, the team the athlete works for, demanded measures from the club's board of directors and repudiated the player's attitude.[6] The sports team then decided to fine[7] and temporarily remove Souza,[8] in addition to stating that "the player's opinions do not represent the beliefs of the partner sports institution" and that he should recant.[9][10] The organized supporters Independente Minas also released a statement in which it said it "will ignore the athlete Maurício Souza in social networks, games and demonstrations".[11]
After the controversy, Souza published a message of retraction for the statements on his Twitter account.[12] However, on October 27, 2021, the team terminated their contract with him.[13]Renan Dal Zotto, coach of the Brazilian Men's Volleyball Team, said he "was disappointed" with the conduct of Maurício Souza and that "there is no room for homophobic professionals" in the selection.[14] As a result, Souza lost his place within the national team. 20 federal deputies from 13 states and seven political parties lodged complaints against him with the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais.[2]
After his firing for his homophobic comments, Souza joined the Liberal Party in March 2022 to run for the position of federal deputy for Minas Gerais in the 2022 election. Souza said that he was running because there was a need for more officials who supported President Jair Bolsonaro.[19] He won by a margin of over 83,000 votes.[20]