In the action, presented on Friday, the MP asks that Ratinho and SBT be sentenced to pay a fine of 10 million reais (1.64 million euros)
Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MP) called for the conviction of presenter Carlos Roberto Massa, known as Ratinho, for statements considered transphobic against trans congresswoman Erika Hilton.
At issue is a comment on “Programa do Ratinho” on the Brazilian Television System (SBT) about the election of Erika Hilton to the presidency of the Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights of the Chamber of Deputies.
“She’s not a woman, she’s trans,” said the presenter on Thursday.
In the action, presented on Friday, the MP asks that Ratinho and SBT be ordered to pay a fine of R$10 million (R$1.64 million) as compensation for collective moral damages.
Furthermore, it asks the broadcaster to immediately remove the entire program from websites and social networks, “as a way of limiting the damage perpetrated by discriminatory and prejudiced speech”.
The action originated from a representation sent by Erika Hilton herself.
“The interlocutor reduces the complexity of female existence to physiological and reproductive functions”, in a vision that “not only excludes trans women, but also marginalizes cisgender women who, for reasons of health, age or genetics, do not have a uterus or do not menstruate”, highlighted the regional attorney for Citizen’s Rights in Rio Grande do Sul, Enrico Rodrigues de Freitas,
“It is a form of symbolic violence that denies trans women the basic right to their own identity, trying to fix them in a biological category that they do not recognize as theirs,” he concluded.
However, SBT has already reacted, considering that “Ratinho is one of SBT’s main presenters and partners” and that “the matter was dealt with internally with everyone involved in the episode and has already been resolved”.
Erika Hilton confirmed on social media the complaint she made to the presenter: “yes, I’m suing the presenter Ratinho”.
“I am and will always be a woman. This presenter is and will always be a rat”, she stressed.
The Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies elected Erika Hilton as president on Wednesday, becoming the first transgender woman to hold the position, after a tense vote.
“This presidency is not just a name, it is the symbol of an expanding democracy. My administration will deal with all women: single mothers, working women, black and indigenous women and those who fight for survival and dignity in every corner of this country”, declared the parliamentarian from the Socialism and Freedom Party.
Erika Hilton received 11 votes in favor and ten blank votes.
According to the official portal of the Chamber of Deputies, the priorities of the new presidency include supervision, the protection network and the Brazilian Women’s Houses, the fight against gender-based political violence and the promotion of comprehensive health policies for women.
Erika Hilton is the first black and trans federal deputy elected in the history of Brazil, having received 256,903 votes in the state of São Paulo in the 2022 elections.
Despite being elected, opposition deputies harshly criticized the new president of the commission.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of what we are seeing. This committee is for women, and we want to be represented by real women, who understand our nature and our biological challenges”, criticized deputy Clarissa Tércio.
In the same vein, right-wing deputy Chris Tonietto considered that she cannot agree “with the handover of this commission, which should protect the dignity of women, life and the family, to an agenda that distorts the very essence of women.”
On the other hand, the vice-president-elect, Laura Carneiro, stressed that “this commission has a history of many struggles and achievements”.
“As vice-president, my commitment is to work alongside the presidency and all my colleagues so that our focus is one: the rights and dignity of every woman in this country”, he stated.
