Julia does not like the word transsexual. She says it is a medical term that carries pejorative of a pathology. Instead, she prefers to be called - and others like her - 'trans': people who are born with mismatched body of their gender identity. At 25, she is running for a seat in Parliament by the Left Bloc (BE). If she can win this battle, she will be the first trans MP in Portugal, though not in the world.

In November 2011, Anna Grodzka reached the integrated Polish parliament in the liberal movement of left-wing Janusz Palikot. Julia Mendes Pereira, who is running for deputy for integrated Setúbal circle in the list headed by Joan Mortágua, joined the block in 2010 and around the same time began to make her voice heard on several fronts to fight for the rights of sexual minorities.

Julia Mendes Pereira is campaigning on several issues. The first is to fight for self-determination of 'trans' people, requesting the right to change their civil status according to their gender identity, without testimony from doctors and psychologists. Additionally, she is interested in feminist issues, defending the right to abortion, gender violence, and LGBT parenting. "These are my priorities as much as intersex rights," says Julia. For clarification, intersex people are born with sexual characters of both sexes, making it difficult to identify as a man or woman. Read More