Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has been accused of having an affair with transgender newscaster Linda Yepes, a claim he hasn't denied but has criticized accusers for sparking transphobic reactions. The allegations arose from a Telemundo report featuring a video of a man and woman, believed to be Petro and Yepes, walking hand-in-hand and taking photos in Panama during President José Raúl Mulino's election celebration. Petro responded on Twitter, emphasizing the importance of privacy and condemning the transphobic backlash. He said, “I have always considered that intimacy is the “last level” of freedom, the last trench of being free, and I will preserve this principle until I write about myself or die. But these thousands of transphobic messages that have exploded in the hands of a right-wing, deeply exclusive, ignorant and discriminatory society must be rejected.” When questioned by Univision about the rumors, Yepes confirmed her presence in Panama but withheld further details, stating, “I cannot speak about the details yet.” Petro, married since 2000, has no prior accusations of extramarital affairs. #Queer Up The World View