On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) publicly accused the United States of "state transphobia" after her visa to enter the country was altered to reflect her gender as male. This revelation came through an Instagram post where Hilton expressed her outrage at the situation.
Hilton's visa was issued for her to attend the Brazil Conference held at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on April 12, 2025. Following the unexpected change in her gender classification, she decided to cancel her trip to the event.
In her post, Hilton highlighted that this incident is a direct consequence of the gender policy enacted by the administration of former President Donald Trump. On his first day in office, January 20, 2025, Trump signed a decree that restricted gender recognition in the United States to only male and female, effectively excluding other gender identities, including transgender women like Hilton.
Hilton had previously received a visa in 2023 during President Joe Biden's administration, which recognized her as a woman, aligning with her gender identity. "It doesn’t surprise me. This has been happening to trans people's documents in the U.S. for weeks now. What concerns me is that a country is ignoring official documents regarding its own citizens and altering them according to the narrative and desires of the current president's withdrawal of rights," Hilton stated.
In her Instagram message, she also addressed the U.S. embassy directly: "If the U.S. embassy has something to say about me, they should do it quietly, within their building, surrounded on all sides by our Democratic State of Law."
Hilton emphasized the need for a diplomatic response from the Brazilian government, stating that such actions by the U.S. not only violate her rights but also challenge the integrity of Brazilian documents. "When practiced in the United States, it still calls for a response from the American judiciary. But when it invades another country, it also requires a diplomatic response from Itamaraty," she remarked, referring to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She described the incident as "absurd," noting that the hate that Trump promotes against transgender individuals has now impacted a Brazilian parliamentarian on an official mission. The congresswoman was set to participate in a lecture titled "Diversity and Democracy" alongside other Brazilian authorities at the Brazil Conference, organized by the Harvard and MIT Brazilian community.
After the incident, Hilton decided not to travel to the United States, viewing the situation as a violation of her rights and a broader issue of state-sanctioned transphobia. "This is more than embarrassing; it is a situation of violence, disrespect, and abuse of power, as it violates a Brazilian document. It is a cruel and perverse expression of the state transphobia practiced by the American government," she said.
In her statement, Hilton also pointed out that the alteration of her gender on the visa contradicts official Brazilian documents, including her rectified birth certificate and Brazilian passport, both of which identify her as female.
In response to this incident, she has contacted Itamaraty and is preparing to file an international legal action against the U.S. government. Hilton's case sheds light on the ongoing challenges faced by transgender individuals, particularly in the context of recent U.S. policies that have rolled back protections for transgender rights.
Since taking office, Trump has enacted numerous measures reversing the inclusion and diversity initiatives established by previous administrations. These include banning transgender individuals from serving in the military and halting the processing of passport applications that seek a non-binary gender marker.
Hilton's experience is emblematic of a larger trend where transgender rights are increasingly under threat in various political landscapes. "This denunciation serves to expose the exclusionary and hygienist policies practiced by Trump against transgender individuals, but also to highlight how abusive it is to alter a document from a country he does not govern," she concluded.
As the situation unfolds, Hilton's actions may prompt a significant diplomatic dialogue between Brazil and the United States regarding the treatment of transgender individuals and the recognition of their rights.
