Joy tinged with fear for Brazil's first trans congresswomen
ssued on: 05/10/2022 - 03:36
Modified: 05/10/2022 - 03:34
2 min
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – The election of the first trans members of Congress in Brazil is "historic," but a strong showing by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies means they risk facing hostility and even violence, experts say.
In a milestone for LGBTQ rights in a country with a history of machismo and homophobia, two trans women won seats in the lower house in Brazil's elections Sunday: Erika Hilton for Sao Paulo and Duda Salabert for Minas Gerais.
"It's now possible to say: black trans woman elected!" Hilton, 29, celebrated on Twitter after her win.
. . .
Bullet-proof vest
Salabert, for her part, cast her ballot Sunday in a bullet-proof vest, following a recommendation from the police.
She has received "five death threats in the past 30 days by email and letter," she said. "Someone even created a website exclusively to describe the ways they wanted to kill me," the 41-year-old wrote on Twitter in September.
More:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221005-joy-tinged-with-fear-for-brazil-s-first-trans-congresswomen