In Brazil, 49% of attacks on trans people happen in the home. They’re often kicked out of their homes by their own parents – on average, at age 13. This is the result of prejudice and ignorance. And O Boticário, as a brand that’s always been present in Brazilian homes, wanted to show that beauty can only exist where there’s respect. Things need to change, and they’ll only change when people start listening.

To talk about trans issues, we put someone into thousands of Brazilian homes who could truly speak to the topic and teach people about it. Alexa? No. Alex. Alex, a real trans man came to join Alexa to talk about trans visibility. He introduced extremely relevant issues with a light tone, and made people’s homes into a safe space to ask questions and learn more about the topic. But most importantly, he made Brazilians’ homes into a safe space for him and thousands of other people to be themselves.

If we were going to come into thousands of Brazilians’ home to talk about such a taboo topic, we’d have to have a light touch. That’s why we brought Alex in to join Alexa – a device known for providing people with information – so that he could speak personally to the issue. O Boticário staked out the topic within Alexa, since the device didn’t have any major skill related to trans visibility. We took advantage of that gap to talk about a serious topic with a fresh approach.

On the International Day of Transgender Visibility, we brought Alex in to share Alexa’s space. Alex was invited by O Boticário to co-create a few topics related to trans issues, bringing important information into the very place where so many attacks on trans people happen, but with a light touch and an educational approach. The skill was launched on the Day of Visibility, and it remains available and will be periodically updated with new content. We backed Alex up with a squad of influencers who amplified his voice, and we were able to take over social media with these urgent conversations.

Today, Alex(a) is the biggest and most wide-ranging skill within Amazon dedicated to trans visibility, and will operate from now on as an educational platform and a safe space inside the home where people can learn more about the topic and ask questions. We were also invited to join Alexa’s “Good Morning” – a media slot that can’t be bought. Alex’s presence there will boost visibility of the skill significantly, generating more traffic and getting more people listening and learning about this all-important issue.