LGBTQ rights in Rio Grande do Sul

On May 29, 2012, four of six notaries of the state capitol of Porto Alegre agreed to convert civil unions into marriages.^[7]

November 11, 2005 − the first LGBTQ adoption in Brazil, by a lesbian couple from the city of Bagé. The judge of the Childhood and Youth of Bagé, Marcos Danilo Edon Franco, permitted the adoption of two brothers by a lesbian couple. The women had been living in a stable union for seven years. One of them had been responsible for the guardianship of the boys since their birth.^[8]

April 6, 2006 − a second adoption by a lesbian couple, and one "provisional guardianship". Same-sex couples in committed relationships were allowed to register at any notary public office. Although it did not affect federal rights, it gave same-sex couples more equality in many areas. Same-sex couples who register have the right to jointly own property, establish custody of children, and claim the right to pensions and property when one partner dies.^[9]

June 10, 2009 − a lesbian couple was the first to win in court the right of adoption in the Brazilian State of Goiás. Since April 2008, a federal employee, 49, and a librarian, 34, had custody of a girl aged two years and ten months. The unprecedented decision was made by Judge Maurício Porfírio of the Juvenile Court of Childhood and Youth in Goiânia. To compensate for the lack of specific law on the issue, the magistrate relied on the precedent of the Court of Rio Grande do Sul.^{[citation needed]}

April 27, 2010 − the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil, located in the capital of the country, Brasília, decided to approve LGBTQ adoption in Brazil. In the case, a lesbian couple from the city of Bagé the physiotherapist Lídia Brignol Guterres and the psychologist Luciana Reis Maidana, had their right to share the adoption of two sons recognized. They told the state that the decision could become a landmark, and could inspire others to follow suit. The physiotherapist and psychologist had been together for thirteen years and adopted two boys in 2002 and 2003. In official records, the children appeared only as children of Luciana. The couple decided to change the documentation to provide pension rights which apply to minors in cases of separation and inheritance.^[10]

June 3, 2011 - the Justice of the city of Pelotas authorized the adoption of a four-year-old child by a gay couple. The biological mother, gave evidence demonstrating a desire to give her child up for adoption by the gay couple.^[11]

On December 19, 2002, the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul enacted State Law No. 14,896, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.^[12]

Since 2019, discrimination based on gender identity has been prohibited nationwide in Brazil, through a decision by the Supreme Federal Court.^[13]

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.^[14]

On April 22, 2022, Rio Grande do Sul Justice assured non-binary people to change their first name and sex in their birth record, according to their self-perceived identity, regardless of judicial authorization, allowing include the expression "non-binary" in the sex field upon a request made by the interested party to a notary's office.^[15][16] However, in December 2023, the Court of Justice of Rio Grande do Sul revoked the provision that recognized non-binary rectification in the state.^[17]

On September 28, 2025, a court in Porto Alegre ordered a bar to pay 10,000 reais in compensation after denying a trans man access to the men's restroom.^[18] On May 28, 2026, the decision was overturned by an appellate court.^[19]

On May 4, 2022, the Porto Alegre City Council approved, by a vote of 20-11, a bill to prohibit the use of gender-neutral language in the city's schools.^{[20][21][22][23]} The bill was signed into law by the city's mayor, Sebastião Melo (MDB), on June 15, 2022,^[24][25] and published in the Official Gazette on the 17th.^[26]

On April 24, 2025, the Supreme Federal Court struck down the city law, along with similar laws from São Gonçalo and Muriaé.^[27][28][29]