Porto Alegre Nightclub Acquitted of Transphobia Charges on Appeal

A nightclub in Porto Alegre, Brazil, has been acquitted in its second instance of a transphobia conviction. The Rio Grande do Sul Court of Justice found insufficient evidence that a transgender man was prevented from using the men's restroom or subjected to discriminatory treatment. The original ruling in September 2025 by the 4th Civil Court of Porto Alegre had ordered the establishment to pay R$10,000 in moral damages. This was in response to an incident in August 2023 where the transgender man reported being denied access to the men's restroom by security staff at Bar Opinião during an event. The initial decision cited transphobia as the reason for the alleged discrimination. The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by the 10th Civil Chamber on May 28, 2026, cited weaknesses and contradictions in the evidence presented. The reporting judge, Marcelo Cezar Muller, concluded that the reported distress did not, on its own, constitute grounds for moral damages. Bar Opinião had previously denied transphobia, stating they merely directed the man to a different men's restroom on an upper floor because the ground floor restrooms were designated for women due to the predominantly female audience. The venue asserted its long-standing commitment to being a space of inclusivity and diversity. The transgender man, whose identity was protected, had described feeling desolate and experiencing a basic need being unmet, leading him to leave the event and share his experience online.