Brazilian Trans Influencer Malévola Alves Jailed in Egypt

Brazilian trans influencer Malévola Alves was arrested on Tuesday, October 20, in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. Egypt's Interior Ministry confirmed the arrest of two foreign female tourists. The public prosecutor's office is investigating.

According to the Interior Ministry, the two women, one of them a content creator, are accused of making obscene gestures, making sexual remarks and harassing passersby on streets in several governorates. The ministry said they filmed and posted the videos themselves to get more views.

The 22-year-old is from São Bernardo do Campo in the state of São Paulo. She became known through TikTok and Instagram, where she shares fashion and lifestyle content and speaks openly about her gender transition. In 2024, she took part in Carlinhos Maia's reality show "Rancho do Maia."

Arrest during a sightseeing tour

Alves was traveling in Egypt with friends. According to the Brazilian newspaper O Tempo, the group's minibus was stopped in the middle of a sightseeing tour and their passports were confiscated. At the police station, Alves and a friend were reportedly asked point-blank whether they were trans.

Alves posted from custody in Instagram Stories. "We're at the police station, we're desperate … If I disappear, you know what happened," she wrote.

A friend who was already in France at the time confirmed the arrest and blamed transphobia. Videos of the group had previously been circulated in Egyptian Facebook groups, she said. The group's claims could not be independently verified.

Transfer to men's prison unconfirmed

A post on the platform X claims Alves is being transferred to a men's detention facility. This has not been officially confirmed.

In Egypt, trans women are generally treated according to the sex registered at birth, including when it comes to housing in detention. One well-known case is that of trans activist Malak al-Kashif, who was arrested in 2019.

Egypt has no explicit law against homosexuality or transgender identity. However, authorities rely on broadly worded provisions on indecent acts, harassment or the dissemination of immoral content. In recent years, they have used these to crack down increasingly on creators on TikTok and Instagram, particularly women and queer people.