At Least 32 Openly LGBT Politicians Elected in Brazil's General Elections
On October 4, 2026, during Brazil’s general elections, voters elected at least 32 openly LGBT candidates to the country’s federal and state legislative bodies. According to data tracked by the Brazilian specialized news outlet Agência Diadorim , which cross-referenced the database compiled by the non-governmental organization VoteLGBT with official tallies from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), 13 politicians secured seats in the federal Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress, 18 were elected to state legislative assemblies, and one to the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District.
The election results marked a more than threefold increase in open LGBT representation in the lower house of the federal parliament: in the previous 2022 general elections, only four such candidates won seats in the Chamber of Deputies, with a nationwide total of 18 elected officials (including Rio Grande do Norte Governor Fátima Bezerra). All four incumbent federal deputies successfully retained their seats for a new four-year term: Dandara Tonantzin (Workers’ Party, Minas Gerais), Daiana Santos (Communist Party of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul), and transgender women Erika Hilton (Socialism and Liberty Party, São Paulo) and Duda Salabert (Socialism and Liberty Party, Minas Gerais).
Joining them in the federal Chamber of Deputies are nine newly elected lawmakers. They include former Minister for Racial Equality Anielle Franco (Workers’ Party, Rio de Janeiro), Natal city councilor Thabatta Pimenta (Green Party, Rio Grande do Norte), who became the first trans federal deputy from the northeastern region of the country, labor movement leader Rick Azevedo (Socialism and Liberty Party, Rio de Janeiro), state deputies Bella Gonçalves (Minas Gerais), Guilherme Cortez (São Paulo), and Rosa Amorim (Pernambuco), Federal District lawmaker Fábio Felix (Federal District), Criciúma city councilor Giovana Mondardo (Santa Catarina), and former National Arts Foundation head Maria Marighella (Bahia).
The tracking by Diadorim is based on voluntary self-declaration and candidate surveys, meaning final numbers may adjust as remaining municipal and regional tallies are finalized and mandates are certified by electoral authorities. The vast majority of the elected LGBT lawmakers ran on left and center-left party tickets allied with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, although state legislative seats reflected broader geographic distribution across the federation. Meanwhile, the presidential contest saw no candidate secure an outright majority, sending incumbent President Lula and conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro to a runoff on October 25.
Agência Diadorim is an independent Brazilian journalism agency and research organization founded in 2021, specializing in sexual and gender diversity, human rights, and electoral coverage in Brazil. During election campaigns, the agency operates analytical tracking panels monitoring party manifestos and official voting results in collaboration with civil society organizations.
Previously, Urania reported on more than 500 openly LGBT candidates running in Brazil’s elections , the election of three trans women to Brazil’s National Congress , and the campaign of conservative trans candidate Sophia Barclay running for the right-wing Liberal Party .
