Most-voted lawmaker under new investigation for transphobia
Pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker Nikolas Ferreira is under investigation by the Federal Police for allegedly committing the crime of transphobia. On October 3 last year, shortly after the general elections, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) an attack on Congresswoman Duda Salabert, a transgender woman who received more votes than any other woman in Minas Gerais state.
“The most voted woman lawmaker in Minas is Greyce [Elias, a congresswoman who received 110,346 votes]. When biology changes, then you can give the title to the other one. Until then: congratulations, Greyce”, he wrote. Ms. Salabert won 208,332 votes in the election.
The Public Prosecution Office of Minas Gerais state received an anonymous complaint on October 4, 2022, stating that Mr. Ferreira had disrespected the law with his comments. This November, the agency asked the Federal Police to “open an investigation against Mr. Ferreira for the commission of a crime,” according to a document obtained by The Brazilian Report.
Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that conduct that “involves hateful aversion to someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity” is a crime covered by the law which also covers racism.
“Yes, there is a crime of transphobia. Not only does [Mr. Ferreira] use masculine pronouns to refer to me, but he also denies the reality of all transgender people,” Ms. Salabert told The Brazilian Report.
This was not the first time Mr. Ferreira has been accused of transphobia and homophobia. Neither the second nor the third.
In April, he was ordered to pay Ms. Salabert BRL 80,000 (USD 16,337) for an interview in which he repeatedly referred to her as a man. At the time, both were city councilors in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. He is appealing the conviction.
Mr. Ferreira claimed he was protected by the right to freedom of expression. However, the judge who analyzed the case understood that this is not an absolute right and that the repeated use of masculine terms would be evidence of a lack of respect. Ms. Salabert has been living as a woman for years and has changed her civil registration to female.
In August, courts ordered Mr. Ferreira to delete ten social media posts with content considered transphobic. A month later, he became a defendant in a Minas Gerais court after exposing a transgender student in a video posted on YouTube. The video shows the teenager, who identifies as female, using the women’s restroom, while Mr. Ferreira criticizes “boys” for using the girls’ bathroom.
Mr. Ferreira is also being investigated for donning a blonde wig on Women’s Day (March 8), and giving a speech in Congress in which he said he “felt like a woman” and that “women are losing their space to men who feel like women.”
Right-wing and left-wing politicians, including House Speaker Arthur Lira, quickly denounced Mr. Ferreira’s antics. “The House is not a stage for exhibitionism, much less for prejudice. I will not tolerate disrespect for anyone. Mr. Ferreira deserves my public rebuke for his attitude,” Mr. Lira said.
A loyal supporter of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, Nikolas Ferreira was the most-voted lawmaker in the country in 2022, with 1.47 million. He is 26 years old and began his political career just two years before being elected to the House. He defines himself as a staunch Christian and conservative, and gained national fame through his engaging social media presence.
In 2021, he went viral after being expelled from Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro for not being vaccinated against Covid-19. The following year, during the presidential race between Mr. Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mr. Ferreira spread fake news that Lula would encourage children to use drugs and would close churches.
Mr. Ferreira’s press team said he would not comment on the new investigation until he was officially notified, which hasn’t happened yet.
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