Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
The study Public Policy for Trans People: Lessons from Brazil for Social Inclusion analyzes the social reintegration model adopted by the Transcidadania Program in São Paulo. The text was published by João Vitor Rodrigues Gonçalves (FGV EAESP) and Liziane Angelotti Meira (FGV EPPG) in the journal Development Policy Review.
The research begins from the recognition that public policies targeting trans people remain scarce and are generally focused on healthcare and combating violence, without addressing the structural foundations of social exclusion. Transcidadania is regarded as an exception in this landscape, operating as an affirmative policy centered on citizenship and education.
With the aim of identifying and describing the program’s institutional framework, the authors conducted a single qualitative case study. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight key actors involved in the management of Transcidadania, including coordinators, managers, and administrators of LGBTI+ centers.
The analysis focused exclusively on the organizational dimension of the model, without contact with beneficiaries, allowing the authors to examine the institutional mechanisms that sustain its operation.
According to the study, the Transcidadania social reintegration model rests on three pillars. The first, acolhimento (welcoming/reception), involves mandatory training for education professionals on gender and sexuality issues, aimed at preventing school dropout caused by discrimination. The second, incentivo (incentive), consists of a monthly cash transfer conditioned on continued participation in educational and training activities. For many beneficiaries, this transfer represents their primary source of income.
The third pillar, monitoramento (monitoring), tracks beneficiaries’ educational performance through individually established goals set out in support plans, with a focus on school progression.
The authors conclude that the institutional model analyzed is viable, replicable, and capable of sustaining itself even under adverse political conditions, having endured administrations of different ideological orientations.
With a relatively simple structure and a focus on education as the central instrument of reintegration, Transcidadania is presented as an example of public policy that may be of interest to other Brazilian cities and Global South countries committed to advancing the rights of trans people.
In summary:
- The study analyzes the institutional model of the Transcidadania Program in São Paulo.
- The research is based on interviews with program managers and coordinators.
- The focus is on the organizational structure, not on the effects on beneficiaries.
- Three pillars underpin the social reintegration model: acolhimento (welcoming), incentivo (incentive), and monitoramento (monitoring).
- The program offers diversity training, cash transfers, and educational goals.
- The authors conclude that the model is replicable, even under adverse political conditions.
Author Profiles
João Vitor Rodrigues Gonçalves is a doctoral candidate in Public Administration and Government at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP). He is also a doctoral candidate in Human Rights at the Universidade de Brasília (PPGDH/UnB). He serves as a professor and volunteer researcher at UnB, affiliated with the Núcleo de Estudos da Diversidade Sexual e de Gênero (Research Group on Sexual and Gender Diversity) at the Centro de Estudos Avançados Multidisciplinares (NEDIG-CEAM/UnB).
Liziane Angelotti Meira holds a doctorate in Law from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (2007). She earned a master’s degree and a specialist certification from Harvard University (2003). Her expertise lies in Public Law, with an emphasis on Tax Law and International Law, focusing primarily on the following areas: foreign trade taxation, special customs regimes, international agreements, imports, exports, Mercosur, and tax administration.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Title: Public Policy for Trans People: Lessons from Brazil for Social Inclusion
Authors: João Vitor Rodrigues Gonçalves, Liziane Angelotti Meira
Year of publication: 2025
Available in: Development Policy Review vol. 43, no. 4
Keywords: Transcidadania, trans rights, social reintegration, public policy, Brazil, LGBTI+ inclusion, conditional cash transfer, affirmative policy, gender diversity, education policy, São Paulo, Global South, social exclusion, institutional design, policy replicability
