A trans-identified male in Aguas Claras, Brazil, may be investigated for filing a false claim of “transphobia” after being removed from a women’s clothing store for exposing himself to the teenage sales associate. Gisela da Silva Fernandes, 49, told police that he had been violently assaulted in a transphobic hate crime after simply trying to buy a dress at a shopping mall.
On March 21, Fernandes attended a local police station to report that he had been the victim of discrimination at the Metropoles Shopping Center earlier that week. According to Fernandes, he had gone into Sodalita, an upscale women’s boutique, but was soon after violently expelled by a security guard while being called homophobic slurs.
Fernandes had visible injuries to his arm which, at the time, appeared to corroborate his story of being grabbed and forcibly removed from the store.
As part of their investigation, police visited the mall and interviewed the sales associate, who will be referred to by the pseudonym “Miranda” for the purposes of protecting her privacy.
According to police records exclusively provided to Reduxx by MATRIA Brazil, Miranda, who is only 18 years old, explained that no violent altercation ever occurred.
She told police that on the day Fernandes came to the store, she was initially taken aback and intimidated by his appearance, as he seemed very “tall and strong.”
But Miranda set aside her concerns and served Fernandes with professionalism, offering him two dresses to try on after a brief sizing consultation. She then led him to the changing room, one of a series of small booths fitted with privacy curtains near the cash register.
Miranda says that Fernandes opened the changing room curtain after stripping down to a skimpy bra and thong, which she said “did not completely cover his genitals.”
Becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Fernandes’ blatant exhibitionism, Miranda exited the store and sought help at the shop next to hers, which had a male security guard on duty. The guard offered to assist Miranda, and followed her back to Sodalita to escort Fernandes from the premises.
In an effort to clarify the facts of what had happened that day, police reviewed security footage from the mall, which quickly established that Fernandes had falsified his version of events.
Police determined that Miranda had served Fernandes “politely and promptly,” and that Fernandes had in fact opened the changing room’s privacy curtain after stripping to display himself in lingerie.
The videos also showed the security guard coming to the store after Miranda sought help, and respectfully accompanying Fernandes to the exit. At no point did the guard harm Fernandes, nor did he use any derogatory language, in stark contrast with his claims of having been verbally abused and physically manhandled.
In the final version of the police report, the officer concluded that there had been “no physical aggression against Gisela da Silva Fernandes,” and suggested the injuries he had presented with could have been self-inflicted.
On May 10, Federal Prosecutor Flavio Roberto Borges Santos reviewed the case and referred it to the region’s Special Criminal Court to investigate whether Fernandes had committed a crime by filing a false police report.
Speaking to Reduxx, one of the Directors of MATRIA Brazil, an independent women’s-rights organization, explained that accusations of criminal “transphobia” were not uncommon in the country.
“Even though it doesn’t have the power to create laws, the Brazilian Supreme Court decided to equate what it called ‘homotransphobia’ to the crime of racism,” Clarice says. “This means that women (and workers) here are often persecuted with accusations of ‘transphobia’ that can lead to legal action.” The ruling, which was enacted in 2019, determined that discrimination against the ‘LGBTQ Community’ constituted a penal offense, and fell under existing race-based protections as a form of “social racism.”
Clarice continued that, as a result of the 2019 changes, the “mere hint of accusation by anyone claiming to be trans has the power to ruin lives” in Brazil and can even result in jail time. As previously reported by Reduxx, multiple women’s rights activists in the country are facing police investigations after being accused of “transphobia” by activists.
But Clarice emphasizes that her organization is ready to help any Brazilian national facing a similar predicament.
“MATRIA supports many women, and increasingly also men, in this situation and we know for a fact most of the accusations of ‘transphobia’ are false and opportunistic,” she says. “We urge women who are facing accusations of ‘transphobia’ in Brazil to contact MATRIA, you don’t need to face this alone!”
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