Brazil is the country that kills the most transgender people in the world. Here, the rates of violence surpass countries with more conservative governments. According to the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA), there was a 41% increase in the number of murders last year, 175 trans and transvestite women were killed. However, even though 2020 was the bloodiest year, municipal elections brought the largest number of candidates and twenty-five elections for trans people.
- Linda Brasil (@lindabrasilaracaju)
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Linda Brasil is a trans woman and councilor from Sergipe, Aracaju, elected with 5,733 votes, winning the most voted councilor position in Aracaju and, also, the PSOL candidate most voted in the entire capital. Linda is an educator and activist, and was elected with the slogan “Courage to Transform”.
Among her main proposals is the fight to reduce social injustices, respect between people and the culture of peace, the fight against prejudice, and the valorization of democracy and human rights.
- Duda Salabert (@duda_salabert)
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Like Linda, Duda Salabert was the most voted candidate for councilor and parliamentarian in Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, with more than 37 thousand votes. In 2016, she created the NGO Transvest, in which teachers (including herself) give preparatory classes for transsexual students.
Her main objective as a councilor is to change the world through education, while she struggles to build a management model that privileges animals, LGBT + people, blacks, and women.
- Robeyoncé Lima (@robeyoncelima)
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Robeyoncé is the first transgender lawyer in Pernambuco and acts as a co-deputy, composing the collective “Juntas”, which joined in favor of electing minorities aiming at a single candidacy. Her objective within the Legislative branch is to raise issues and make public policies in favor of the life of LGBT + people, mainly in favor of the lives of trans women who prostitute in the early hours of Pernambuco to survive, since they are the most vulnerable people. For this, the collective will charge guidelines for public security and inclusive education.
- Erika Hilton (@hilton_erika)
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At the age of 27, Erika Hilton starred in a historic moment: she was the most voted candidate for councilor in the city of São Paulo and was the first trans woman to occupy a seat in the São Paulo City Council.
Forced to attend church by a family that did not accept her gender, and when she was expelled from her home, she started going to the corners of the city. After a few years, she returned home and went to college, got involved with student activism, and was invited to join the PSOL Activist Bench. In 2021, Erika became the 1st trans president of the Human Rights Commission of the São Paulo Chamber.
These four women are just a few examples of how trans activism is growing in Brazil every day and occupying more and more spaces. Leading countless historical moments, Duda, Linda, Robeyoncé, and Erika fight for the same cause: the right to live with dignity and respect.
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The article above was edited by Laura Enchioglo.
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