The ascent of conservative governments in consolidated democracies has compelled scholars and policymakers to increasingly prioritize the resilience of policies and institutions worldwide. The literature, however, rarely discusses protecting programs aimed at marginalized groups, or strategies for their survival. To address this gap, this article aims to understand and explain the resilience of minority policies by examining a case from the Global South: the Transcidadania Program (Brazil). Despite targeting transgender individuals, this policy has remarkably survived and improved throughout more than eight years of conservative administrations. Drawing on Grounded Theory, based on 14 interviews with managers and extensive document analysis, the results reveal the emergent concept of pragmatic resilience. This innovative concept converts the policy’s symbolic outcomes (reputation) into public value (political capital), thereby creating an institutional “shield” that renders dismantling efforts by illiberal leaders politically unviable. By shifting the focus from intra-organizational survival, predominant in literature, to external legitimacy, this research positions pragmatic resilience as a vital lens for safeguarding minority policies in illiberal governments who are hostile to minority agendas. Ultimately, the empirical insights distilled by the participants offer a roadmap for practitioners globally that can empower them to fortify policy resilience amidst increasingly turbulent political landscapes.