Erika Hilton

Erika Santos Silva, known as Erika Hilton (born 9 December 1992), is a Brazilian politician and activist for black and LGBT rights. Hilton studied teaching and gerontology before entering politics.

Affiliated to the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), in the 2020 elections, she gained national and international notice by becoming the first openly transgender councilor elected to the Municipal Chamber of São Paulo, receiving the most votes for any councilor in the country.

In November 2021, she was honoured with a "Generation Change Award" at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards in Budapest.

In 2022, she and Duda Salabert became the first two openly transgender people elected to the National Congress of Brazil, with both of them elected to its Chamber of Deputies. Hilton was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.

A documentary about Erika Hilton is currently in production and will soon premiere in Brazil. It promises to offer a comprehensive and detailed view of Hilton's life and trajectory, highlighting her significant contributions to various aspects of Brazilian culture and politics. The documentary is expected to provide valuable insights into her personal journey, challenges, and achievements, as well as explore her impact on social and political issues in Brazil. With its imminent release, the documentary is anticipated to serve as a source of inspiration and reflection for audiences in Brazil and beyond.

Early life and education
Hilton was born in Franco da Rocha and grew up on the outskirts of Francisco Morato in Greater São Paulo. When she was 14, she and her family moved to Itu in the interior of São Paulo state. Raised in an evangelical family, Hilton experienced gender-based violence by her uncles because of her gender identity, and ultimately became homeless at the age of 15, during which time she used sex work to survive. After six years, Hilton returned to the care of her mother.

Hilton subsequently completed her education and started studying pedagogy and gerontology at the Federal University of São Carlos, although she did not graduate. While at university, Hilton took part in student politics.

Activism and political beginnings
In 2015, Hilton launched an online petition calling for transgender people to be given the right to choose their own names after a bus company in Itu refused to print her female name on a seasonal bus ticket. The petition went viral online, and was ultimately successful.

Following her petition, Hilton gained national notice as a transgender rights activist. She was invited to join PSOL, and ran an ultimately unsuccessful campaign to become a councillor in Itu in 2016.

Bancada Ativista (2018–2020)
In 2018, Hilton joined Bancada Ativista, a political movement calling for a diversification of Brazilian politics. She was part of a collective mandate which saw Mônica Seixas elected to the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo with 149,844 votes. Hilton officially acted as an aide to Seixas, but alongside the other members of Bancada Ativista, acted "almost as a parliamentarian"; the Legislative Assembly permitted Seixas' official portrait to show all members of the collective, although only Seixas was officially recognised as a member of the assembly.

Municipal Chamber of São Paulo (2021–2023)
In 2020, Hilton left Bancada Ativista in order to stand as a candidate for the Municipal Chamber of São Paulo; she was elected with 50,508 votes, the most received by a female councillor, and became the first trans woman to occupy a seat in the chamber. During the same election, Thammy Miranda became the first trans man to be elected to the chamber. Hilton started her mandate in the chamber on 1 January 2021 and ran as the PSOL candidate to serve as president of the chamber, though was defeated by Milton Leite of the Democrats. She was chosen as the leader of the PSOL councillors, which constituted the third largest party in the chamber.

During her time as a councillor, Hilton sat on the chamber's commissions on human rights and citizenship, public administration, and education and culture. Hilton's bills included a proposal to establish a municipal fund to fight hunger, with the objective of financing public policies to ensure food security in São Paulo.

Chamber of Deputies (2023–present)
In March 2022, Hilton announced that she would stand as a PSOL candidate for São Paulo in the Chamber of Deputies. She was ultimately successful, garnering 256,903 votes. Hilton's mandate included the inclusion of trans people in the Brazilian workforce.

In May 2023, Hilton was unanimously elected as vice president of the chamber's human rights, minorities and racial equality commission.

In July 2023, during a parliamentary enquiry into the 2023 Brazilian Congress attack, deputy Abilio Brunini commented during a speech given by Hilton that she was "offering sexual services" in the chamber. Following his comments, it was announced that Brunini would be investigated by the attorney general for "political and gender violence".

In response to the proposal of bill 5167/2009, which would prohibit civil unions between same-sex couples, Hilton established the Parliamentary Front in Defence of Citizenship and the Rights of the LGBTI+ Community in September 2023, with the support of 210 deputies and senators, with the goal of promoting and protecting the rights of LGBT+ people.