LGBTQ rights in Acre
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the Brazilian state of Acre have had significant legal advances in recent decades.[6]
LGBTQ rights in Acre | |
|---|---|
Location of Acre in Brazil. | |
| Legal status | Legal since 1830, age of consent equalised[1] |
| Gender identity | Gender change allowed, official standard for altering legal sex doesn't require surgery since 2018[2] |
| Military | Allowed to serve openly |
| Discrimination protections | Since 2019[3] |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage since 2012[4] |
| Adoption | Legal since 2010[5] |
Legality of same-sex sexual activity
In 1830, Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro I sanctioned the Imperial Penal Code, removing all references to sodomy from Brazilian law.[1][7]
Recognition of same-sex relationships
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Acre since 2013 via a decision by the National Council of Justice, in compliance with a previous decision of the Supreme Federal Court in 2011.[4] In December 4, 2017, the Brazilian Institute of Family Law (IBDFAM) organized a collective same-sex marriage event, with 13 couples getting married in the state capital, Rio Branco.[8]
Adoption and parenting
Since 2010, same-sex adoption has been officially permitted in the state through a decision by the Supreme Federal Court.[5] Previously, on May 30, 2008, Judge Luana Cláudia de Albuquerque Campos of the Civil Court of the District of Senador Guiomard rendered a favorable decision involving a gay couple adopting a child. The child had already been adopted by one member of the couple at the age of one year. The couple had been living in a stable relationship for eight years.[9]
Discrimination protections
On August 3, 2017, the Governor of Acre, Tião Viana, signed Decree No. 7,311, which establishes the State Council for Combating Discrimination and Promoting the Rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Travestis, and Transsexuals.[10] The council aims to propose public policies for the LGBTQ community in the state.[10]
In 2019, through a decision by the Supreme Federal Court, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity became explicitly illegal, being equated to the crime of racism.[3]
On December 30, 2020, the mayor of Rio Branco, Socorro Neri, enacted Law No. 2389, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the city.[11]
On January 29, 2025, the government of Acre, through the State Secretariat for Social Assistance and Human Rights (SEASDH) and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Acre (MPAC), signed a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting LGBTQ rights.[12] The event also included the launch of the booklet "What you need to know about the rights of the LGBTQIAPN+ population: Name and gender change for Trans and Travesti people" (Brazilian Portuguese: O que você precisa saber sobre os direitos da população LGBTQIAPN+: Mudança de nome e gênero de pessoas Trans e Travestis), which aims to guide transgender people in the state on the process of rectifying their documents.[12][13]
Gender identity and expression
On December 19, 2017, the governor of Acre, Tião Viana, signed Law No. 3,355, which guarantees the use of social name by transgender people.[14]
The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil ruled on 1 March 2018, that a transgender person has the right to change their official name and sex without the need of surgery or professional evaluation, just by self-declaration of their psychosocial identity.[2]
In 2025, Ariel Sebastos became the first person in the state to obtain a document marked with the gender "X".[15] Despite the law allows non-binary people to change their documents,[13] it still requires judicial actions.[16]
Censorship
On November 13, 2024, the Rio Branco City Council approved a bill, Bill No. 14/2024, which aimed to prohibit the participation of children and adolescents in LGBTQ pride parades in the city. The bill was proposed by Representative João Marcos Luz, of the Liberal Party, and was approved with 10 votes in favor and 1 vote against.[17][18] The bill was criticized by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, which accused it of perpetuating stereotypes about homosexual people.[18]
The bill was vetoed by the then mayor of Rio Branco, Tião Bocalom, claiming that the bill was unconstitutional.[19][20]
Life conditions
Pride parade
Every year[a] in Rio Branco, the Acre LGBT+ Pride Parade takes place, organized by the Associação de Homossexuais do Acre.[22][23] Singer Preta Gil participated in the 5th edition of the event, on September 20, 2009.[22] The 17th edition of the event took place on December 1st, World AIDS Day.[23]
Statistics
A 2019 survey by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics showed that 1.3% of people in the state identified as homosexual or bisexual, and 2.8% either did not want to or did not know how to answer what their sexual orientation was.[24][25] The survey was criticized by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Acre for being based on the National Health Survey (PNS), instead of the 2022 Brazilian Census, and for not collecting information on gender identity.[24][26]
Discrimination
Despite laws protecting against discrimination, LGBTQ people may face discrimination in the state.[27][28][29] A survey conducted by the Associação de Homossexuais do Acre showed that between 2007 and 2018, 18 murders of homosexual people were recorded in the state, with 14 of them occurring in the state's capital, Rio Branco.[27] On December 22, 2025, the LGBTQ activist and public prosecutor of Acre Moisés Alencastro was found dead in his apartment in Rio Branco.[30][31][32]
Summary table
| Same-sex sexual activity legal |  (Since 1830) |
| Equal age of consent | (Since 1830) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | (Since 2019)[3] |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | (Since 2019)[3] |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (Incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | (Since 2019)[3] |
| Same-sex marriages | (Since 2013)[5] |
| Recognition of same-sex couples | (Since 2011) |
| Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples | (Since 2010) |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples | (Since 2010) |
| LGBTQ people allowed to serve openly in the military | |
| Right to change legal gender | (Since 2008; gender self-identification since 2018)[2] |
| Third gender option | (Since 2025)[15][13] |
| Conversion therapy by medical professionals banned | (Since 1999 for homosexuals and since 2018 for transgender people)[33][34] |
| Access to IVF for lesbians | (Since 2013)[35] |
| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples |  (Banned for any couple regardless of sexual orientation) |
| MSMs allowed to donate blood | (Since 2020)[36] |