Kátia Tapety is a Brazilian politician. She was the first transgender politician to be elected in Brazil.
Early years
Tapety is the child of a family of politicians and until the sixteen years lived practically hidden in the house. She went to school only until third grade of elementary school and after that, her parents kept her a recluse.
Career
A resident of the municipality of Colônia do Piauí, 388 km south of Teresina, the Piauiense capital, Tapety joined the Liberal Front Party in which the councilman was elected in 1992, 1996 and 2000, then she next joined the Popular Socialist Party, then the party of Ciro Gomes, who was her political idol. Tapety was also president of the Colônia do Piauí City Council from 2001 to 2002. In Colônia do Piauí, Kátia is officially a public health official, but since she lives in a town of only 7,000 inhabitants, which is embedded in the backlands of the state of Piauí, she is a kind of "do everything." She works as a councilor, midwife, community leader and health agent. Sometimes she also works as a social worker, psychologist, lawyer, driver and even a cowgirl. Its political line, however, is more focused on welfare than on the defense of trans or homosexuals. In 12 years as a councilwoman, she did not want to present any project related to the subject because she believes that she lives in a city of the interior with other problems much more priority, where nobody would be interested in subjects directed to the transsexuality and where there are very few transgenders. The fact that Tapety has entered politics is considered extraordinary, since it opens space for new and future social achievements and citizenship of the transgender. It shows that it is possible for a transgender to exercise her right to citizenship and to live a dignified life, away from stereotypes. Contrary to popular belief, her election also showed that it is a myth that in the large and cosmopolitan Brazilian cities there is less prejudice than in the so-called "country grottoes." The four municipal elections already held in Colônia do Piauí were disputed by Katia, who managed to win all of them. In addition to deputy mayor, she was already councilor for three terms, and one of them assumed the presidency of the city hall. Her political group has support from various groups in the city, including members of evangelical churches. In the election of 2008, Tapety applied, obtaining only the substitution.
Personal life
The dream of politics is to have Tapety's marital union legalized, since she lives with her partner and two children, one adoptive and the other from a previous relationship. The documentary "De Zé a Kátia", by Karla Holanda, will show the life of Kátia Tapety, the first transgender person elected to public and political office in Brazil. The information about the feature film came to light through the column of the journalist Mônica Bergamo, published in Folha of October 2010.
