Thabatta Pimenta makes trans history in Brazil vote

Thabatta Pimenta has made LGBTQ+ political history in Brazil after being elected to the country’s Chamber of Deputies.

The Green Party politician won a seat representing Rio Grande do Norte in the 4 October election, receiving 92,743 votes. She becomes the first trans federal deputy from Brazil’s Northeast region and joins Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert as one of three trans politicians in Congress.

It marks another breakthrough in a political career that has repeatedly broken barriers. Thabatta was elected to the council in her home town of Carnaúba dos Dantas in 2020 before winning a seat in Natal in 2024, becoming the first trans councillor in the state capital.

Her political work has focused on human rights, LGBTQ+ equality and disability rights. The latter has particular personal significance because Thabatta has spoken extensively about her relationship with her brother Ryan, who has cerebral palsy.

Her latest election takes her from local politics to Brazil’s national legislature for the first time. Rio Grande do Norte elects eight representatives to the Chamber of Deputies, with Thabatta securing the final seat in the state’s 2026 result.

The new members of the Chamber are due to take office on 1 February 2027. For Brazil’s trans community, Thabatta’s election adds another openly trans voice to the country’s national political institutions and extends representation beyond the politicians already elected from other regions.