Robeyoncé Lima

Robeyoncé Lima
Personal details
Born
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
PartyPSOL (2016–present)
Alma materFederal University of Pernambuco
OccupationLawyer, activist and politician
WebsiteRobeyoncé Lima

Robeyoncé Lima is a Brazilian lawyer, activist, and politician.[1] She was elected state deputy for Pernambuco in 2018 and is the first trans woman elected official in the state.[1][2] She was elected as part of the collective candidacy of JUNTAS 50180, which includes Carol Vergolino, Joelma Carla, Kátia Cunha, and Jô Cavalcanti.[1][3] Her stated legislative goals center public safety, particularly for trans women.[4] She has spoken out against Bolsonaro's negative comments about sexual minorities and the "intensification of oppression"[4] that has occurred since his election.[2][3]

Lima is Afro-Brazilian[1] and was born in Recife and raised in Pernambuco.[3][5] She received her law degree from UFPE and currently works at the university.[3] After passing the bar, she provided legal advocacy to LGBTQ people, frequently pro bono.[4] She is the first trans woman to practice law in Pernambuco.[1][2]

Biography

Born in Recife, Robeyoncé was a student in the Pernambuco state public school system. During her childhood, she faced family problems and was abandoned by her father, who was addicted to crack cocaine. Her mother was a domestic worker and, due to her heavy workload, couldn't spend much time with Lima, who was cared for by her grandmother. In an interview, she said that she used to be rejected by other children for being different, which is why she started reading comic books as a hobby.[5][3]

Lima graduated in law at the age of 27 from the Federal University of Pernambuco, an institution she described as "a breezy environment where she could develop."[6] During her studies, she interned at various public institutions, such as the Federal Court and Petrobras.[7][3]

In 2016, the Recife Law School named the graduating class of the activist Turma Robeyoncé Lima in her honor. This fact received national media attention, raising the profile of the recent graduate in society. At the time, Robeyoncé stated that her graduation represented an exception to the rule.[5][8]

In 2017, she passed the OAB exam and became the first transgender woman to practice law in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil.[1][2]

Activism

Collective candidacy Juntas

Robeyoncé (left) and other members of the Juntas candidacy at the Legislative Assembly (2019).

In 2018, she launched her campaign as a member of the collective candidacy Juntas,[9] headed by Jô Cavalcanti, who was elected as a state deputy in the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco after receiving 39,000 votes.[10] Due to the success of the collective candidacy in the election, Robeyoncé was described as the first transgender woman to be part of a state-level collective candidacy.[11][12][13]

Although she was not officially sworn in as a congresswoman, Robeyoncé was referred to as a "co-congresswoman" by the press and,[14] during the collective candidacy, stated that she would focus her efforts on improving public safety in Pernambuco, in order to guarantee the safety of LGBTQIA+ people and, in particular, the defense of transgender and travesti people.[4]

After taking office, the candidacy sought to build public policies focused on women, LGBTQIA+ people, and social movements in Pernambuco. The candidacy's decisions were guided by the five members, represented by Jô Cavalcanti, who chaired the Human Rights and Popular Participation Committee of the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco with the aim of strengthening anti-discrimination policies.[15][16][17]

Criticism of Jair Bolsonaro and transphobia

In 2019, Robeyoncé spoke out against Jair Bolsonaro's discriminatory comments about sexual minorities and the "intensification of oppression"[4] that has taken place since the former president came to power.[3][2] When questioned about the derogatory comments she received on social media, Lima responded that these demonstrate the trivialization of violence against transgender people.[18]

In interviews, Lima stated that Brazil has been at the top of the ranking for assaults and deaths against transgender people for over 10 years.[16][19] According to her:[7][20]

Through education, we will begin to be seen as normal people. What we want most is the right to be [...]

International impact and the establishment of the Global Equality Caucus at the United Nations

On 21 June 2019, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Robeyoncé was one of the founders of the Global Equality Caucus, an international network of parliamentarians engaged in combating discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.[21] Along with a delegation of legislative members from various countries, Lima signed the New York Declaration in support of minority rights.[22][23][24]

Given the impact of her work as an activist, Robeyoncé has been invited by international media to give interviews about the issues she advocates for.[4]

Lima's trajectory and statements were reported by various media outlets based outside of Brazil, such as the US magazine Ms. Magazine,[1] the Reuters agency[2] and the Argentine newspaper La Nación.[25]

Vice-President of the Special Truth Commission on Black Slavery in Brazil

In June 2022, Lima was sworn in as vice-president of the Special Truth Commission on Black Slavery in Brazil, established by the Pernambuco section of the Brazilian Bar Association.[26][27][28] The commission's objective is to discuss the responsibilities for the events that took place during slavery, as a way to support and strengthen public policies for racial equity.[26]

Candidacy for federal deputy

In the 2022 elections, she ran for federal deputy for Pernambuco, obtaining approximately 80,000 votes. Lima was not elected due to the electoral quotient.[29][6][30] During the campaign, Robeyoncé raised issues such as the fight against racism, sexism, LGBTphobia, workers' rights, among other causes.[31][32]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Activism is Survival for Brazilian Trans Women - Ms. Magazine". Ms. Magazine. August 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "UPDATE 1-Amid fear, Brazil's LGBT+ politicians vow to fight back against attacks". Reuters (in French). 17 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Robeyoncé: uma voz LGBT no Legislativo de Pernambuco". www.folhape.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Interview with Robeyoncé Lima, a Voice for Pernambuco's LGBTQ+". www.wilsoncenter.org. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Robeyoncé Lima, mulher trans, dará nome à turma da tradicional Faculdade de Direito de Recife". CLAUDIA (in Portuguese). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2020 – via Editora Abril.
  6. 1 2 RAFAEL, ROMERO (8 March 2016). "Dia da Mulher: Robeyoncé e a luta de uma mulher trans para ser quem é". JC (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 Villela, Sumaia (8 March 2017). "Advogada transexual destaca luta pelo reconhecimento de gênero". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Ferraz, Artur (14 July 2016). "Aluna transexual vira nome de turma da Faculdade de Direito do Recife". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Urnas terão nome de candidaturas coletivas em 2022". DW News (in Portuguese). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Malunguinho, Hilton e Lima: Quem são as deputadas trans eleitas em 2018". HuffPost Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 17 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  11. ↑ MICHELE MERLIN DE SIQUEIRA; Andrea Maria Carneiro Lobo; Santos, Leticia Santana (18 November 2021). "Mulheres Trans na política::". Anais do EVINCI - UniBrasil (in Portuguese). 7 (1). Autonomous University Center of Brazil. ISSN 2525-5126. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025.
  12. ↑ Vieira Silva, Gabriela Peixoto (13 January 2021). "Novas subjetividades políticas: o caso da "Juntas", uma "mandata" coletiva feminista". Simpósio Gênero e Políticas Públicas. 6: 1274–1292. doi:10.5433/SGPP.2020v6.p1274. ISSN 2177-8248.
  13. ↑ "Representação Política de Mulheres no Brasil no contexto das Mandatas Coletivas 'Pretas Por Salvador'(BA) e 'Juntas'(PE)" (PDF). Repositório UFBA. Federal University of Bahia. 2023.
  14. ↑ Nunes, Kebler (15 October 2018). "Cinco militantes em um mesmo mandato na Assembleia Legislativa de PE". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Odara - Advogada e codeputada estadual de Pernambuco, Robeyoncé Lima, tem atuação marcada pela defesa às causas LGBTQIA+, de gênero e de raça". Odara (in Brazilian Portuguese). 5 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  16. 1 2 Dias, Gabriel (26 June 2021). "A morte assombra a gente o tempo todo, diz primeira deputada travesti de Pernambuco, Robeyoncé Lima". Rádio Jornal (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Dias, Surenã (10 July 2019). "Deputada trans, Robeyoncé fala sobre experiência no coletivo Juntas". Observatório G (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "- Parlamentarios para la Acción Global - Movilizando parlamentarios como defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos, la democracia y un mundo sostenible". www.pgaction.org (in Spanish). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  19. ↑ ""Resistência não é algo novo para a gente", diz primeira deputada trans do Nordeste". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Robeyoncé Lima: "O caso de Roberta corria o risco muito grande de passar batido"". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). 1 July 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Life as a Legislator: Robeyoncé, leading the way". Global Equality Caucus. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "New York Declaration". Global Equality Caucus. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  23. ↑ Dideriksen, Christina (22 June 2019). "Launch of the Global Equality Caucus to tackle LGBT+ discrimination". Equal Eyes. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  24. ↑ ""We're not asking for special rights, just the same rights as everybody else"". Nick Herbert. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "Brasil: Erika Hilton, Duda Salabert y Robeyoncé se convirtieron en las primeras diputadas trans del país". La Nación (in Spanish). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Fernando Ribeiro Lins nomeia Comissão Especial da Verdade sobre a Escravidão Negra no Brasil". OAB-PE (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  27. ↑ "Núcleo de Direitos LGBT comemora 10 anos com palestras sobre desafios e avanços". Ministério Publico de Pernambuco (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  28. ↑ Carneiro, Giovanna (30 October 2023). "Lideranças negras e indígenas debatem equidade racial na gestão pública em evento no Recife". Marco Zero Conteúdo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  29. ↑ Pernambuco, Diario de (25 July 2025). "Codeputada estadual, Robeyoncé Lima busca ser a primeira parlamentar travesti da Câmara | Diario de Pernambuco - Rumo aos 200 anos". Diario de Pernambuco (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  30. ↑ "Por que Robeyoncé e Thabatta não foram eleitas, apesar da votação?". Agência Diadorim (in Brazilian Portuguese). 7 October 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  31. ↑ Ebrahim, Raíssa (12 September 2022). ""Quero abrir portas para as próximas que virão", diz Robeyoncé, que pode ser primeira travesti no Congresso". Marco Zero Conteúdo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  32. ↑ Correia, Mariama (28 March 2022). "Pré-candidatas trans e travestis miram eleição para a Câmara dos Deputados". Agência Pública (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
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