ALEXYA SALVADOR

 

ALEXYA SALVADOR (b. 1980)

A trans woman in Brazil, one of the most dangerous places in the world for the LGBTQ+ community.

Alexya Salvador, was born as Alexander Salvador in Mairiporã, a rural municipality on the outskirts of São Paulo. Salvador grew up under the name Alexander. According to her own statements, she identified herself as an LGBT person for years. In her twenties she realized that she was a trans woman, but was initially only able to come out as homosexual because of her father, who at the time rejected transgender lifestyles . At the age of 28 she had sex reassignment measures carried out on her and has lived under the name Alexya Salvador ever since. She declares her gender identity as transgender and not transsexual .

Alexya Salvador is a public school teacher, vice president of Brazilian Association of Homotransaffective Families (ABRAFH) and a mother. In 2015, she was appointed assistant pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in São Paulo, making her the first transgender pastor in Brazil.

As a public figure, she ran for the office of state representative in 2018 campaigning on LGBTI rights, education and adoption, issues present in her own life. In her speeches, Alexya says that her body is a trespasser and that her very existence is political, particularly in the country that most kills LGBTI people anywhere in the world. As far as she is concerned, the problem lies in the education that people receive, which is underpinned by prejudices that violate the human rights of the LGBTI population, and which is why she advocates strongly for the transformative role of education. She was one of a record number of transgender candidates on the ballot in Brazil’s October elections under the PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party), a far-left Brazilian political party.

She is vice president of the Brazilian Association of Homotransaffective Families (ABRAFH) and became the first trans person to adopt a child in Brazil (where in 2017 over 380 trans people were murdered) and, later, the first to adopt two trans children.

Whether it’s in school or in church, she believes that her presence can inspire other people. The same goes for her family. In interviews, as vice president of the ABRAFH, she promotes dialogue on respect for different family formations. In her church, she also talks about the need for a political presence by LGBTI people as a way of expanding areas of acceptance and inclusion.