Ana Paula Lobato
Profile
Brazilian Senator (PSB-MA) and primary legislative sponsor of PL 896/2023, which criminalises "misogyny" by amending Brazil's Lei do Racismo (Law 7.716/1989) — the statute that criminalises racial discrimination — to also cover hatred or aversion to women. The bill passed the Brazilian Senate in March 2025 and advanced to the Chamber of Deputies. Penalties under the proposal range from one to five years' imprisonment depending on the act, with aggravated penalties for offences committed via social media or the internet. Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) argued during Senate debate that the bill's definition of misogyny was "broad and imprecise" — a formulation critics warn could capture political speech, satire, religious expression, and heterodox commentary on sex and gender without requiring proof of genuine hatred or discriminatory intent. The bill's Senate opponents explicitly sought to include free speech and religious expression exemptions; these amendments were rejected by the Senate plenary.