Although the fight against misogyny is present in the speeches of the main pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, the project to criminalize misogyny divides opinions among them.
A Sheet He sought out the pre-campaigns of the president (), the senator (-RJ) and the former governors (Novo-MG) and (-GO) to find out their position regarding the project, which plans to include misogyny among prejudice crimes.
Lula, through the PT, expressed support for the bill proposed by senator Ana Paula Lobato (PSB-MA), who is part of the government base. Flávio said it was necessary to improve the text — even though he himself voted in favor of its approval in —, while Zema spoke out against the proposal because, according to him, it undermines freedom of expression. Caiado’s team, claiming to still be structuring Goiano’s pre-campaign, did not respond to questions sent by the report.
The text specifies as discriminatory any attitude or treatment that causes embarrassment, humiliation, shame, fear or undue exposure, in a way that would not occur with men. The expected penalty is two to five years in prison. If the crime is committed in a domestic and family context, the penalty will be doubled.
In a statement, the PT classified the proposal as an advance in the fight against gender-based violence and mentioned the Brazilian National Pact against Feminicide, after the repercussion of a .
Lula accumulates in his trajectory. In April 2025, for example, he called the general director of the (International Monetary Fund), Kristalina Georgieva, a “little woman” and, in the previous month, he said he had appointed a “” () in the ministry to “improve the relationship” with Congress.
At the same time, the PT member has incorporated speeches in favor of gender equality into his public speeches. “That’s why we like to give the key in the hand of the woman. If the guy gets angry, lock him out. Then he’ll learn not to be angry with his female companion anymore”, said the president in March during the key handover ceremony for Minha Casa, Minha Vida at Palácio do Planalto.
“The criminalization of misogyny is a fundamental step and must be linked to structural actions, such as education for equality, strengthening the protection network and combating hate speech, including in digital environments”, says the PT in the note sent.
Flávio Bolsonaro has also adopted pro-women speeches with an eye on a segment of the electorate that has a history of rejecting his father, the former president (PL), whose long history has included attacks on female journalists and a 2014 statement, that only Maria do Rosário (PT-RS) because she did not deserve it.
“I am married to Fernanda, I am the father of two little princesses who are the reason for my living and I imagine the pain of these families who have a woman attacked or a woman murdered by a coward. And we will no longer tolerate that in this country”, said the senator during a protest on Avenida Paulista, in March.
Flávio’s team, in a note, told the reporter that, in the government’s plan, “the issue of safety and protection for women will be treated as a priority.” He voted to criminalize misogyny, but stated that the text that will be voted on “presents gaps and points that still need to be improved.”
In October 2025, Flávio and ten other right-wing senators presented an appeal for the text to be voted on in plenary, and not just approved by the Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Commission, which evaluates the constitutionality of projects. At the time, he already defended the need to change the proposal.
“The approved text requires technical improvement, as the adopted definition of misogyny is broad and imprecise, leaving room for excessive interpretations and the possible criminalization of conduct that does not constitute hatred or real aversion to women”, says the opinion.
The project describes misogyny as conduct that externalizes hatred or aversion towards women.
The argument that the definition lacks greater precision is also used by Romeu Zema, who said he was against the Misogyny PL, as the project approved by the Senate became known.
“I am against this project. The text has a vague definition of what misogyny is and sets a dangerous precedent, putting freedom of expression at risk. Violence against women is unacceptable and must be combatted with the utmost rigor. However, making other people’s opinions a crime, however reprehensible they may be, does not protect women, it only expands the State’s power over what people can or cannot say”, said the former governor in a statement.
In 2020, during the launch of a program to combat gender-based violence, the miner stated that oppression against women is “”.
In the text sent by your team to SheetZema said he defended the increase in penalties against aggressors, rapists and feminicides. “What kind of man thinks it’s normal to start attacking when a woman says no and still posts it on social media? I’m a father, I have a daughter and I also have a son and I refuse to accept a country where women live in fear of going out on the street,” he said in a video published on his YouTube channel in March.
Without having returned to the report on the Misogyny PL, Ronaldo Caiado has also explored the fight against gender violence. “I have a firm hand against criminals. When they are aggressors of women, that’s when I’m more heavy-handed,” he said in videos recorded by his team in March.
WHAT IS THE PL OF MISOGYNY
- It plans to include misogyny among the prejudice crimes of the Racism Law
- Any attitude or treatment that causes embarrassment, humiliation, shame, fear or undue exposure to a woman, in a way that would not occur with men, would be considered a crime.
- Defines misogyny as conduct that expresses hatred or aversion towards women
- Penalty of 2 to 5 years in prison
- If the crime is committed in the context of domestic and family violence, the penalty is doubled.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS
- Already approved by the Senate, the project was sent to the Chamber of Deputies, where it needs to be voted on
- If approved by the Chamber, the text goes to presidential sanction
- The president can sanction the project in full, veto it in its entirety or veto only sections
- The can override possible presidential vetoes
WHAT EACH PRE-CANDIDATE SAYS
- Lula (PT) — favorable: The PT classified the PL as an advance in the fight against gender-based violence and defends that the criminalization of misogyny is linked to structural actions
- Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) — favorable with reservations: Voted in favor of approval in the Senate, but argues that the text needs improvements, criticizing the definition of misogyny as broad and imprecise
- Romeu Zema (New) — contrary: It is against the project and states that the vague definition of misogyny represents a risk to freedom of expression; defends increasing penalties for aggressors, rapists and feminicides, but argues that criminalizing opinions does not protect women
- Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) — no registered position: The team did not respond to questions from the Sheet about the PL, claiming to be still structuring the pre-campaign
