12 Facts About Duda Salabert

Duda Salabert Rosa is a Brazilian politician, environmentalist, and teacher.

Duda Salabert was elected with over 37,000 votes, more than any city council candidate in the history of Minas Gerais at the time.

Duda Salabert cofounded Transvest, a non-governmental organization focused on combating transphobia.

In 2018, Salabert campaigned as a Socialism and Liberty Party candidate to represent the state of Minas Gerais in the Brazilian Senate.

Duda Salabert said that she had received invitations to campaign for other offices but chose the Senate as a form of provocation, noting that the etymology of the term senate relates to men and that "if it is a space made for gentlemen, a travesti woman seeking this space is extremely provocative".

Duda Salabert additionally stated that she had been targeted on social media and that she feared escalation to physical violence.

Duda Salabert received more than 350,000 votes, not winning the election but becoming the first transgender person to run for the Brazilian Senate.

In 2020, Duda Salabert was elected to the city council of Belo Horizonte after campaigning as a member of the Democratic Labour Party.

Duda Salabert was the first transgender person elected to the Belo Horizonte city council, and with 37,000 votes in support, the most-voted-for city council candidate in Minas Gerais history at the time.

In December 2020, the school where Duda Salabert taught received an email threatening both her and the school if she remained in her position, and she was fired.

In June 2021, Duda Salabert announced that she would campaign for a Senate seat in 2022.

Duda Salabert had previously pledged to serve for her entire 4-year term on the Belo Horizonte city council, but stated that she had been advised by the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to seek a position in the federal government so that she could be protected by the Policia Federal after having received death threats.