Trans artist suffers virtual attacks after asking for a job in a video

Maria Silvino Alves dos Santos Borges, better known as Maria Sil, was the target of a wave of transphobic attacks after asking for job opportunities in a video published on social media (watch above).

Born in Santos and raised in São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo, Maria lamented the violence shown on the internet. “They ridicule me, they mock my pain and my body, it’s very violent,” he said.

“No one told us to become trans,” commented one internet user. “Who wants to hire a ticking time bomb?” wrote another. “No one will hire a mentally ill man who dresses like a woman,” posted a third.

To g1, she said that she recorded the content as a form of appeal amid the fight for the cause of trans employability and also received positive comments, but she still feels pain with each hateful message.

"There are two worlds there, mixed together. It's just that violence is very shocking. It sometimes affects us more than affection", highlighted Maria.

With technical training in Dramatic Arts, Maria Sil has worked as an actress, singer and cultural producer, being the author of several projects in Baixada Santista. In 2024, she even released an album with original songs. However, opportunities became increasingly scarce over time.

Last year, Maria Sil moved to the capital of São Paulo and became increasingly angry with the lack of opportunities. In two years, the woman was invited to only three job interviews, even though she sent more than 500 resumes.

In the few opportunities she gained, Maria had bad experiences. “In one of the last companies I worked for, my team constantly got my gender wrong,” he lamented, saying that companies need to create a permanence policy.

Given the scenario of financial instability, she had to suspend her degree in Cultural Production, further restricting opportunities that require higher education. "If I could get a scholarship to go back to studying, it would be incredible. I have my degree on hold, even though the monthly fee is low," he said.

According to the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), only 25% of the trans population has a formal employment contract. For Maria Sil, this increasingly highlights the need for attention to the topic.

"So, it's not about Maria. There is a larger structure that strengthens unemployment", explained the artist.

President of the Diversity Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) of Santos, lawyer Rafael Guilherme de Almeida explained that the offenses suffered by Maria Sil constitute crimes, even if they are virtual.

"The fact that the offense is on the internet does not make it unpunishable. Quite the contrary! Although we are far from ideal, today we can identify crimes via the internet a little more easily than before", he highlighted.

According to him, the authors can be identified, even using fake profiles, through a court order to the platforms.

"Since 2019, the STF (Federal Supreme Court) has understood that homophobia and transphobia fall under the Racism Law (Law 7,716/89), until Congress approves a specific law”, explained Almeida.

According to him, the crimes are non-bailable and imprescriptible. Furthermore, the victim can request compensation for moral damages in the civil sphere.

The lawyer explained that refusing to hire a person because they are trans is also characterized as discrimination. "If there is evidence that it was rejected for this reason (messages, comments in an interview, vacancy reopened shortly afterwards), you can seek accountability from the company."