A LGBTIFobia infantojuvenil: a livre expressão da sexualidade como direito sexual de crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

This master's dissertation aims to investigate LGBTphobia directed at children and adolescents as a form of violation of their sexual rights. To this end, it analyzes the Brazilian context throughout the 2010s, a period marked by significant political developments, notably the rise of neoconservatism. The "Demonstrations of June 2013" represent a pivotal moment in contemporary Brazilian politics, occurring amid a broader economic, social, and political crisis that catalyzed ideological and political disputes. Central to these disputes were debates concerning sexual and reproductive rights, particularly those of women and the political agenda in defense of LGBTI+ rights. The protests initially emerged as expressions of discontent from various social groups dissatisfied with living conditions and access to public services, set against the backdrop of the declining effectiveness of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) class conciliation policies. This study approaches the protests in two phases: the first phase is characterized by legitimate political contestation against the capitalist mode of production and its particular manifestations in Brazil, which prioritized market demands over the needs of the working population, especially its most marginalized and historically oppressed sectors. The second phase was marked by the appropriation of the demonstrations by conservative reactionary movements, which sought to reshape the political discourse and direction of the protests. The repercussions of these events were multifaceted and had a lasting impact on Brazilian society, especially in shaping political approaches to gender and sexuality. A particular focus was placed on the sexual rights of children and adolescents, framed within a human rights perspective emphasizing protection and promotion. Conservative political reaction began to materialize institutionally from the 2014 elections onward, culminating in the 2016 legal-parliamentary-media coup that led to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff (PT). This political context was marked by the resurgence and proliferation of the "gender ideology" narrative, which promoted the defense of the socalled traditional family and advocated for the protection of children and adolescents from alleged threats such as early sexualization, homosexuality, and transgender identities. This narrative entailed a dispute over competing conceptions of childhood and adolescence.The central objective of this research is to understand sexual diversity in childhood and adolescence as a legitimate expression of sexual rights, and to analyze how these rights have been violated within the context of the conservative backlash in Brazil during the 2010s. More specifically, the study aims to examine the relationship between the rise of conservatism in Brazil and manifestations of LGBTphobia in the lives of LGBTI+ children and adolescents and identify how LGBTphobic violence affects this population. The research adopts the historical-dialectical materialist method to comprehend the multiple determinations influencing the research object, as well as its dynamics, structure, and essence, within a historical and totalizing perspective. Employing a qualitative approach, the study relies on bibliographic and documentary research strategies. The temporal scope spans from 2010 to 2024, a period that evidences the institutionalization of the conservative backlash within Brazilian political structures, media narratives, and public discourse, followed by the deepening of neoconservative ideologies. In the bibliographic component, the study draws upon authors who conceptualize sexual and gender diversity as intrinsic to human diversity, and who frame sexuality as a fundamental right of children and adolescents, thus affirming sexual diversity as present and legitimate across all stages of life, including childhood and adolescence. The documentary analysis includes reports such as “Mortes Violentas de LGBT+ no Brasil”, organized by the Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB), and the “Observatório de Mortes Violentas de LGBT+ no Brasil”, produced jointly by Aliança Nacional LGBTI+, Instituto brasileiro de diversidade sexual e Grupo Dignidade —covering the years from 2011 to 2024. Among the principal findings of this dissertation, the study underscores the ideological power of the "gender ideology" narrative in shaping how sexual and gender diversity among children and adolescents is addressed in Brazilian society. This influence is reflected in the incitement of LGBTphobic crimes against this demographic, the perpetuation of sexual rights violations within family environments, the proposition of legislative initiatives that negate the existence of LGBTI+ individuals, especially those in the child and youth population, and the broader contestation of child and adolescent protection paradigms in Brazil.