Brazilian Prosecutors Seek to Revive 'Transphobia' Case Against Student Over 2020 Posts
A federal appeals panel threw out the charges in March. A new appeal could put the veterinary student back on trial, facing up to 10 years in prison, over two posts about gender.
See where this is ›BRASILIA, Brazil —
Federal prosecutors in Brazil have asked the country's Superior Tribunal of Justice to reopen a criminal case against Isadora Borges, a veterinary student charged with two counts of “transphobia” over social media posts, according to ADF International, the legal group backing her defense. ADF announced the filing Oct. 21. The Christian Post, which describes Borges as a Christian student, reported on it Oct. 24.
See where this is ›The charges come from two posts Borges wrote on X, then called Twitter, in November 2020. ADF says one post said transgender women were born male, and the other said a person keeps the DNA they were born with no matter what surgery, hormones or clothing they use. Erika Hilton, a transgender member of Brazil's Congress, reported Borges to federal police.
Borges was notified of the charges in September 2025. Each count carries two to five years in prison, for a possible total of 10 years. At a February hearing, the lower-court judge said the posts appeared to be personal opinion without clear intent to discriminate.
See where this is ›In March, a three-judge panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 5th Region unanimously dismissed all charges and closed the case, finding the posts lacked the criminal intent the law requires. Prosecutors have now filed a special appeal asking the higher court in Brasilia to review that decision. If it succeeds, Borges would face trial again on the same charges.
“It is terrifying to know that my case could reopen and that I may once again face time in prison,” Borges said in ADF's statement. Julio Pohl, ADF International's legal counsel for Latin America, said the March ruling “set an important legal precedent that opinions are not grounds for criminal charges.”
ADF says a 2019 ruling by Brazil's Supreme Federal Tribunal treated “homophobia” and “transphobia” as forms of racism under the law. Neither ADF's release nor The Christian Post's report included a response from Brazilian prosecutors, and the date of the filing was not given. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details of the appeal.
What we don't know yet: The account of the new filing comes from ADF International, the legal group defending the student, and The Christian Post. The date of the filing and the prosecutors' own explanation have not been made public, and Watchman News could not reach them.
