Transphobic remarks lead Brazilian NGO to sue State of Mato Grosso

The organization is suing for damages on behalf of families of trans children.

São Paulo, Brazil. | By Roberta Rocinante | roberta@theneedlenews.com

In late Sept., the NGO “Minha Criança Trans” (My trans child.) launched a civil lawsuit against the Legislative Assembly of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Assembleia Legislativa do Mato Grosso do Sul, Alems.) over the accusation of “Exposing children” given by the now impeached deputy Rafael Tavares (PL). 

PL or Partido Liberal meaning The Liberal Party is a right-leaning party (with factions that line up with the center-right and the far right) in Brazil.

The accusation was sparked by the NGO taking part in São Paulo’s pride parade in 2023 while flying a banner with the sentence “Trans children exist.”

This has caused the impeached deputy to throw a proposal of repudiation – a document stating that the Alems does not approve of and instead condemns the statement that trans children exist.  

In the repudiation document, the now-impeached deputy states that “Children do not have the needed maturity to choose their sexual orientation.”

The deputy also claims that the transitioning process brings irreversible damage, and that children would only be safe if they lived in places free of the NGO’s influence. 

In response, the NGO asked the Assembly to clarify its statement with scientific and technical arguments.

Now in 2025, Minha Criança Trans is asking for thirty thousand reais in damages (equivalent to roughly $5,470 at time of publication) for each of the families that have been attacked by the proposal) for a total of one million reais for damages, and a public apology. 

The NGO’s president, Thamirys Nunes, alleges that the Alems proposal is based on personal information and lacks any scientific basis. She also stated the proposal is transphobic in nature.

In their defense, the Alems stated that their deputies are protected with the right to immunity, and that their comments, votes, and opinions are protected speech.

It’s important to note that in Brazil, both transphobia and homophobia are considered crimes, and they are a part of the “Lei do Racismo,” which enshrines this into law.

This means that in Brazil, racism, homophobia, and transphobia alone are considered hate crimes. 

Both the act of saying something racist or doing something violent for racist reasons fit in the scope of the law. 

The transphobic proposal started by the now impeached deputy Rafael Tavares can be understood as breaking the law.