In Brazil, at least 9 thousand trans students are enrolled in public schools in state education networks. These are enrollments of students with social names in 14 states and the Federal District. Among the states analyzed, São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande do Norte have the highest number of enrollments.
The data are from the dossier National Registry of Deaths of Trans People in Brazil in 2024: from Expectation of Death to a Look at the Living Presence of Trans Students in Brazilian Basic Educationfrom Rede Trans Brasil.
The social name is the name that the transvestite or transsexual person prefers to be called. The use of the social name is a right guaranteed since 2018, by ordinance 33/2018 of the Ministry of Education, which authorizes the use of the social name of transvestites and transsexuals in basic education school records, for students over 18 years of age.
The dossier, which will be officially launched on the 29th in organization’s social networksbrings together the data that was obtained through the Transparency Portal.
Last year, São Paulo, with 3,451, Paraná, with 1,137 and Rio Grande do Norte, with 839, led the way, with the largest number of trans students in education networks. The states were followed by Rio de Janeiro (780), Santa Catarina (557), Espírito Santo (490), Distrito Federal (441), Pará (285), Mato Grosso do Sul (221), Goiás (196), Alagoas ( 165), Mato Grosso (159), Rondônia (157), Amazonas (67) and Sergipe (58).
In addition to these states, Maranhão only presented the total number of students enrolled with the social name between 2018 and 2014, 74 students.
The survey shows that only in five states and the Federal District, the number of registrations with the social name increased between 2023 and 2024: Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro, Distrito Federal, São Paulo and Espírito Santo. In Sergipe, the number remained the same. In the remaining eight states, the number of registrations of trans people fell.
“The social name in basic education is a matter of respect and dignity, it is not fashion. It’s respect and dignity. I believe that when a trans person is called by the name that corresponds to their gender identity, in this case, trans woman and female transvestite and trans masculine men, they feel welcomed and recognized in that space”, says the deputy secretary of communication at Rede Trans Brazil, Isabella Santorinne.
Santorinne emphasizes that respect also encourages students to continue their studies and not drop out of school. Data from the Census Trans survey also from Rede Trans Brasil shows that of a selected group of 1,100 trans women, the majority, 63.9% did not have completed secondary education. Among them, 34.7% did not even complete primary education.
“A more diverse education is essential to combat prejudice, build an environment where everyone can learn and live together with respect, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color. I also believe that teaching about diversity in schools also prepares students for society”, argues Santorinne.
In addition to basic education data, the dossier also shows that, in Brazil, 105 trans people were killed in 2024. Although the country registered 14 fewer cases than in 2023, it still continues, for the 17th consecutive year, to be the most kills trans people around the world.
