Patricia de Oliveira Souza Lelis

About

Brazilian journalist and member of the Workers' Party who came under scrutiny in 2018 for her comments on gender identification. Following a situation where a transgender man exposed himself to women in the bathroom, she spoke up on her social media about the difference between biologically being female and the feeling of identification. This was followed by vicious threats from viewers and public denouncement by Brazilian officials. 

Before Fame

She began working in politics at only 16 with pastor and congressman Marco Feliciano. After being sexually assaulted by Feliciano, she gradually shifted to the left to be able to speak out more for women's rights. In 2018 she left Brazil for America after discovering a prostitution ring within the Brazilian National Congress. 

Trivia

Her patricialelis Instagram account has 450,000 followers. She posts pictures, videos and news articles about current happenings in Brazil, including photos and videos of politicians whose messages she wants to spread. She also posts photos of herself in her daily life and in her work as a journalist and political activist. On her lelispatricia Twitter she posts her thoughts about the current political state in Brazil and what she enjoys in her personal life.

Family Life

She was born to a conservative, Christian and political right-wing family. She has an orange and white cat, a German shepherd and a cocker spaniel. 

Associated With

She is an outspoken militant working against the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro.