Trans Men and Transmasculine People Day in Brazil Date in the current year: February 20, 2025

Transgender men (trans men) are men who were assigned female at birth, but have a male gender identity. Many trans men undergo social and medical transition to change their appearance to match their gender identity; those who choose to transition are often referred to as FTM (female-to-male).

Transmasculine (sometimes shortened to transmasc) is a broader term that includes all transgender people with predominantly masculine gender identity or expression. It does include trans men, but it also includes non-binary, genderfluid, or other gender-diverse individuals who were assigned female at birth and have some degree of masculine gender expression or identity. Not all transmasc individuals identify as strictly male.

Brazil is a generally progressive country in terms of transgender rights: trans people have the right to change their legal name and gender without undergoing hormone therapy or surgery; psychological counseling, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery are provided by the public health service; transgender people are allowed to serve openly in the military; many states have enacted protections against discrimination based on gender identity; and so on. However, this does not mean that trans men and transmasculine people do not face discrimination and other challenges.

Despite laws protecting LGBT people, homophobia and transphobia are common in Brazil, a predominantly Catholic country. According to the Transgender Europe 2021 report, 33% of all murders of transgender people since 2008 have occurred in Brazil. That year, for the 13th consecutive year, Brazil topped the list of countries with the largest number of murders of trans and queer people.

In addition, abortion is generally illegal in Brazil, which means that trans men and transmasculine people who become pregnant (which can happen even if they are on testosterone) cannot safely terminate an unwanted pregnancy. They must either seek an illegal abortion or deal with the challenges of an unwanted pregnancy and additional unique challenges such as gender dysphoria, potential complications, and social stigma.

Trans Men and Transmasculine People Day in Brazil is celebrated on February 20 to commemorate the first National Meeting of Trans Men and Transmasculine People, held in 2015 at the Faculty of History and Geography of the University of São Paulo. It was organized by the Brazilian Institute of Transmasculinities (Instituto Brasileiro de Transmasculinidades, IBRAT), an organization that works to increase the visibility of transmasculine people and their issues, and to advocate for the protection of the human rights and health needs of transmasc people.

The main goal of Trans Men and Transmasculine People Day is to make transmasculinity more visible and to address issues that affect trans men and transmasculine people. It is marked by a variety of events such as marches, film screenings and other cultural events, and more.