Brazil elects first trans woman from the northeast to Congress
Thabatta Pimenta becomes the third trans parliamentarian in Brazil’s Congress
By Aaron Sugg
Thabatta Pimenta has become the first trans woman from northeast Brazil to be elected to the country’s Chamber of Deputies.
She will become the third trans parliamentarian in Brazil’s Congress, joining Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert, who were first elected in 2022.
Pimenta is a Natal municipal councillor from the Green Party and was elected on Sunday 4 October 2026, receiving 92,743 votes and securing one of Rio Grande do Norte’s eight seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
Celebrating the win, Pimenta became emotional while speaking to supporters after her victory, alongside her brother Ryan, who has cerebral palsy.
“It is a victory built from the ground up” – Thabatta Pimenta celebrating her victory
“This victory belongs to the people of Rio Grande do Norte. It is a victory built from the ground up… the people themselves rose up, and you saw the result: today they elected the first female travesti federal deputy from northeast Brazil.”
Making history, she also took to social media, writing: “It’s already possible to say that RN (Rio Grande do Norte) has just made history! First trans federal deputy from the Brazilian Northeast.
“From the countryside, from the grassroots, and with the people! The daughter of Maria de Iracema, from Carnaúba dos Dantas is elected! Thank you RN.”
Trans people in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies
Pimenta will join Erika Hilton, a travesti from the left-wing PSOL party, and Duda Salabert, a trans woman and fellow PSOL member from Minas Gerais, in the Chamber of Deputies.
Hilton was re-elected with 1,596,472 votes, reportedly the most votes ever received by a female member of Congress in Brazilian history. Salabert was also re-elected, receiving 215,192 votes.
Brazil has some of Latin America’s strongest legal protections for trans people, including the right to change one’s legal gender without undergoing surgery.
However, inconsistencies persist. Trans people, as they are in much of the world, continue to face high levels of discrimination and violence.
According to Brazil’s National Association of Travestis and Transgender People (ANTRA), 80 trans people were murdered in Brazil in 2025. Though concerning, the number had decreased compared with 2024.