Rated among the most trusted sources of music industry news, Billboard played an active role at all major pop culture moments. Always taking a stand, it welcomed and made room for the LGBTQIA+ community, especially through movements such as Billboard Pride.

This Over 30 project responds directly to current needs in Brazil, showing that Billboard values are real. Not limited to the pages of this magazine, they are out storming the streets and stirring up discussions throughout society, especially in places that have long been largely impenetrable to this issue. And this is precisely where shifts in mindsets are needed, so that the trans population feels safe in their lives.

In order to develop and implement this project, Billboard set up a team of transgender professionals endowed with all the required skills: consulting, art direction, journalism, photography, image editing, makeup, and costumes.

The Billboard Over 30 initiative is a clear counterpart to the Forbes Under 30 ranking that highlights entrepreneurs, artists, and opinion makers who achieve financial success before turning 30.

Riding the other side of the same wave, we launched the first ranking that spotlights trans people – but with a crucial difference. This list pays tribute to people who survived beyond their 30th birthdays, showcasing the shameful fact that transsexuals and transvestites rarely survive beyond this age in Brazil, victimized by prejudice and endemic violence.

The 30 names on this list served as influencers, extending the reach of this message through interviews and podcasts, as well as advocating for this worthy cause on their own channels.

Making good use of trans visibility month in Brazil, the launch of this magazine hit the headlines in news media and social networks, spurring engagement among performance and opinion makers.

Billboard picked the perfect moment for launching its Over 30 initiative: January is trans visibility month in Brazil, cleverly timed to coincide with the Forbes launch of its Under 30 edition. This boosted its impacts through comparisons, reinforced by the relevance of this issue at that time.

In this context, both public and media embraced this good cause, driving discussions out of the trans bubble and reaching hard-to-penetrate social segments. Another boost came from sponsorships by major brands such as Amstel.

This initiative sought not only to hit the headlines, but also to have powerful impacts. Its entire preparation was handled by trans professionals qualified in all the required skills, together with diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services. Part of the profit was earmarked for institutions sheltering trans people and transphobia victims. This concept is now a permanent section on the Billboard website, confirming its status as an ongoing initiative.

Billboard Over 30 released the list of 30 trans people over 30 on January 10, during trans visibility month in Brazil. Recounting the life stories of each of 30 people who survived transphobia, this publication contrasted starkly with the Forbes Under 30 listing (published at the same time) presenting conventionally successful young people under 30.

The publication trended rapidly. Sweeping across the media and social networks, it slid this issue on to safety, security, and inclusion discussion agendas.

The launch of a single by performers featured on its cover reinforced its message, wielding the power of music to carry its message to even more people.

Expanding this project, the Over 30 Section is now a fixture on the Billboard website, clearly showing that it’s an ongoing initiative that will be published every year.

Billboard Over 30 was one of the best-selling editions of the brand in Brazil. With an exposition that reached more than 180 million impacts, and arrived in the hands of those who can really make a difference and promote change: members of the Chamber of Deputies, through the top voted congresswoman in her state and one of the Over 30s honorees featured in this edition.

The publication also became a subject and had a great impact on the media and social networks, with articles in journalistic and entertainment programs, spontaneous remembrance of opinion leaders and Brazilian celebrities.

Part of the proceeds went to shelters that care for trans people who are victims of violence.

The trans community in Brazil for the first time found itself represented, celebrated, and perceived by the rest of the population, leaving the margins of society to feel safe, supported, and without fear.