Last Tuesday (24), the Senate approved the project that equates misogyny with racism and sent it to the Chamber. Although it has not yet begun to be processed among deputies, the proposal is already causing heated debates among parliamentarians on social media.
The text was approved among senators, uniting votes from the left, right and center. But now in the Chamber, the project is likely to face greater resistance from the opposition.
While left-wing deputies classify the proposal as a civilizing and fundamental advance to protect women from attacks and violence, oppositionists say that the text is exaggerated and ideologically biased, question the more severe punishment and warn of the risk of political use of the law to silence or persecute people.
The proposal changes the Racism Law to classify misogyny as a crime of discrimination, with penalties ranging from 2 and 5 years imprisonment, plus a fine. It defines misogyny as “conduct that manifests hatred or aversion to women, based on the belief in the supremacy of the male gender”.
The senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF), despite having voted “yes”, expressed concern regarding the merit of the project.
“Soon they will put ageism in the law. I’m worried about the direction we want to give to such a precious law. I don’t know if the black movement participated in this debate. […] I believed that the CCJ would make this correction. We should typify misogyny, but not in the Racism Law”, stated the senator.
In an interview with CNN, the rapporteur of the text in the Senate, senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), said that the legislation aims to include misogynistic insult in Law 7,716 of 1989, which already deals with crimes related to race, color, ethnicity, religion and national origin. “We are typifying misogyny on a collective level, given the fact that we are encountering groups on the internet spreading a culture of hatred against women,” he stated.
According to Thronicke, misogyny represents the birthplace of violence against women, starting with words before evolving into physical aggression and, in extreme cases, femicide.
Deputies
As soon as the senate approved the matter, deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) took to social media to say that he will work to overturn the project. “Unbelievable is the word…Tomorrow the work begins to overturn this aberration that was approved today in the Senate”, wrote the parliamentarian on his personal page on the social network X.
The parliamentarian also published a video lasting almost 14 minutes in which he states that the proposal threatens freedom of expression and could restrict the right of cisgender women to demonstrate.
Representative Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP), in turn, used the same platform to say that she will fight for the law “to be approved without any changes” in the Chamber. “It is unacceptable that women are attacked, threatened, dehumanized and violated every day, on the internet and in the streets, simply for being women,” he wrote.
Érika, who is president of the Women’s Committee in the Chamber, also highlighted the need to analyze the issue urgently. “The issue is urgent, and any change in the text would make the project have to be approved in the Senate again. The lives and safety of women cannot wait!”, he wrote.
Representative Júlia Zanatta (PL-SC) stated that “this type of law will be used by those who dress up as women to attack and silence women”. In the parliamentarian’s opinion, the text does not make clear what misogyny is. “In addition to being censorship, the criminal nature is very open and at the discretion of the judges”, said the Santa Catarina deputy.
Representative Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP) celebrated the approval of the project in the Senate and highlighted the “unity” between senators from opposite poles. “There were 67 votes in favor, a large majority, which united left and right. No radicalism, no banana peel,” said Tabata on X.
*Under the supervision of Leandro Bisa
