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A trans-identified male politician who previously attempted to have a woman imprisoned for “misgendering” him was elected as president of the Women’s Rights Committee. Felipe Santos Silva, who has adopted the name Erika Hilton, told the Chamber of Deputies that the Committee should focus on women “without exception in their dignity and plurality,” and included transvestites in his definition.
“We will discuss projects here, we will discuss the lives of women here, we will remember that, whether they like it or not, cis women, trans woman and travestis [transvestites] will not be abandoned in this discussion, and I don’t care about anyone’s wishes,” Hilton, of the Socialism and Liberty Party, stated.
On March 11, the same day he was elected to the position, Hilton filed a criminal complaint against TV presenter Carlos Massa, widely known as Ratinho, for questioning his appointment to the Women’s Rights Commission. On the Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (Brazilian Television System – SBT), Ratinho criticized the decision, stating, “I didn’t think it was very fair… why give [the role] to a trans woman?” He also remarked that Hilton “is not a woman.”
The claim against Ratinho and SBT, filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo, accuses the presenter of “transphobia, transphobic slurs,” and “gender-based political violence.” Hilton is demanding $10 million Brazilian reals, the equivalent of $1.9 million dollars.
But Ratinho is not the only individual who has faced criminal prosecution for declining to “validate” Hilton.
As previously reported by Reduxx, feminist activist Isabela Cêpa faced criminal charges lodged against her by Hilton in 2021.
Cêpa learned she was being charged with 5 counts of “social racism” after the Public Prosecutor combed her social media feed to find other “transphobic” statements. In total, Cêpa was facing 25 years in prison for calling Hilton a man.
Last year, Cêpa was granted full refugee protections by the European Union Agency for Asylum.
In June of 2025, Cêpa formally applied for refugee status, which she was granted – making her the first Brazilian citizen to receive this designation for state persecution since 1985.
In September 2025, Justice Gilmar Mendes rejected Hilton’s complaint against Cêpa, and in the ruling, stated that calling Hilton a “man” does not constitute a hate crime.
In December, women’s magazine Marie Claire named Hilton as one of it’s “women of the year.”
His persecution of Cêpa and threats towards other feminists was not mentioned.
As previously reported by Reduxx, multiple Brazilians have faced criminal charges for statements or commentary deemed “transphobic.” Earlier this year, women’s rights activist Karen Mizuno revealed she had been notified by police that she may face criminal charges after mocking a trans activist who claimed that “archaeologists are transphobic.” Mizuno faces up to three years in prison.