Number of Bills Restricting LGBT Rights Significantly Increases in Brazilian National Congress

According to a study by the Elas no Congresso project of the publication AzMina, the number of bills concerning LGBT rights and reproductive freedoms has almost doubled in the National Congress of Brazil over the last four years. A significant portion of these initiatives is aimed at restricting existing rights and is used by conservative politicians in election campaigns.

Between January 2023 and April 2026, 2,036 bills related to gender issues were introduced to the National Congress. As reported by AzMina , the number of initiatives concerning sexual and reproductive rights grew by 125%, and those regarding LGBT rights by 86.9% compared to the previous parliamentary convocation. At the same time, the proportion of bills evaluated by human rights defenders as negative for the LGBT community increased from 50% to 61%.

The main topics for conservative deputies, primarily representing the Liberal Party (PL), Republicans, and the Brazil Union, were education, the use of a chosen name, transgender people’s access to gender-affirming care, and participation in sports competitions.

Simultaneously, there is a growing number of initiatives in the parliament aimed at restricting access to legal abortion. A prime example was bill 1904/2024, which proposed equating abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide. Despite rapid initial approval in parliament, the document was shelved following mass public protests.

Progressive parliamentarians act as a counterbalance to conservative initiatives. Lawmakers such as Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert—the first openly transgender women in Congress—lead in the number of initiatives aimed at expanding rights. Among their proposals are bill PL 2054/2026, establishing the National Policy for LGBTQIA+ Rights, and PL 665/2026, aimed at preventing transfeminicide. It is expected that LGBT rights and reproductive freedoms will remain key topics in upcoming election campaigns.