Brazilian volleyball player Tiffany Abreu, who previously represented Esmoriz as Rodrigo Abreu before her gender reassignment surgery, had been prevented from playing in the city where the Brazilian Cup will be held.
Justice Cármen Lúcia of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) issued a precautionary measure this Friday afternoon guaranteeing the participation of transgender athlete Tiffany Abreu, from Osasco, in the Brazilian Volleyball Cup.
The decision follows an appeal by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) to the STF. The entity sought to ensure the athlete’s right to compete after the Londrina City Council approved, under urgent procedure, a request to prevent her participation in the tournament.
The initiative to ban the athlete was led by councilwoman Jéssica Ramos Moreno, who based her decision on a municipal law from April 2024. This legislation prohibits the participation of athletes whose gender does not correspond to their biological sex assigned at birth in sports competitions in the city.
This is not the first time that the 40-year-old player, who played in Portugal for Esmoriz in 2008/09 before her gender transition, has faced problems for being a transgender athlete. At the end of the year, she had to watch her team’s participation in the Club World Championship from the stands.
In her decision, Judge Cármen Lúcia, the case’s rapporteur, argued that Tiffany Abreu complies with all the rules of the CBV (Brazilian Volleyball Confederation) and is in accordance with the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court. The magistrate highlighted the seriousness of the situation, stating that cases like this have been increasing.
“Unfortunately, situations like the one presented in this complaint have proliferated, clashing not only with constitutional principles and the consolidated jurisprudence of this Supreme Court, which is extremely serious,” the judge emphasized.
The precautionary measure partially granted the CBV’s request, focusing on guaranteeing Tiffany’s presence in the Brazilian Cup. However, Cármen Lúcia considered that the case requires a more in-depth analysis and requested an urgent opinion from the Attorney General’s Office on the matter.
At Friday’s game between Osasco and Flamengo, Tiffany Abreu was warmly received by the public. The player, who started the match on the substitutes’ bench, entered at the end of the first set to strong applause from the entire pavilion.
