In 2025, Brazilian feminist activist and graphic designer Isabella Cêpa received political asylum in Europe because she faced years in prison for online comments that offended transgender politician Érika Hilton. Cêpa became the world’s first gender critical political refugee and an embarrassment to Brazil, which had proudly overcome its authoritarian past.
Cêpa was officially charged with “racism” for “misgendering” Hilton, a representative of Brazil’s wokest political party, the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL). Like abusive men worldwide who use gender identity as grounds for legal harassment, Hilton was riding a wave of well-meaning legislation and court rulings from a self-satisfied political class.
In 2019, the Brazilian judiciary reinterpreted homophobia and transphobia as forms of racism under the country’s 1989 Lei do Racismo. Then, in 2023, the court criminalized slurs against gays and trans individuals, with some prosecutors also deeming misgendering to be a slur. Fearing …
