Robeyoncé Lima

Robeyoncé Lima is a Brazilian lawyer, activist, and politician. She was elected as part of the collective candidacy of JUNTAS 50180, which includes Carol Vergolino, Joelma Carla, Kátia Cunha, and Jô Cavalcanti. Her stated legislative goals center public safety, particularly for trans women. She received her law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco and currently works at the university. She is the first trans woman to practice law in Pernambuco. During her studies, she interned at various public institutions, such as the Federal Court and Petrobras.

In 2017, she passed the OAB exam and became the first transgender woman to practice law in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. headed by Jô Cavalcanti, who was elected as a state deputy in the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco after receiving 39,000 votes. Due to the success of the collective candidacy in the election, Lima was described as the first transgender woman to be part of a state-level collective candidacy.

Although she was not officially sworn in as a state representative, Lima was referred to as a "state co-representative" by the press and, during the collective candidacy, stated that she would focus her efforts on improving public safety in Pernambuco, in order to guarantee the safety of LGBTQIA+ people and, in particular, the defense of transgender and travesti people.

Criticism of Jair Bolsonaro and transphobia In 2019, Lima spoke out against Jair Bolsonaro's discriminatory comments about sexual minorities and the "intensification of oppression"

In interviews, Lima stated that Brazil has been at the top of the ranking for assaults and deaths against transgender people for over 10 years. According to her:

International impact and the establishment of the Global Equality Caucus at the United Nations On 21 June 2019, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, she was one of the founders of the Global Equality Caucus, an international network of parliamentarians engaged in combating discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people. Along with a delegation of legislative members from various countries, Lima signed the New York Declaration in support of minority rights.

Given the impact of her work as an activist, Lima has been invited by international media to give interviews about the issues she advocates for.

Vice-President of the Special Truth Commission on Black Slavery in Brazil In June 2022, Lima was sworn in as vice-president of the Special Truth Commission on Black Slavery in Brazil, established by the Pernambuco section of the Brazilian Bar Association. The commission's objective is to discuss the responsibilities for the events that took place during slavery, as a way to support and strengthen public policies for racial equity. During the campaign, she raised issues such as the fight against racism, sexism, LGBTphobia, workers' rights, among other causes.