Diversidade sexual e de gênero na escola: das fontes históricas à etnografia da sala de aula

Abstract

This article presents a pedagogical strategy aimed at sexual and gender diversity, implemented in two classes of the first year of high school at the Professor Anísio Teixeira State School, in Natal/RN. The purpose of the study is to investigate how historical sources can be used in workshops to stimulate debates about gender and sexuality, using historical research and the workshop as tools for analyzing sexual diversity in the school environment. The term “sexual and gender diversity” is used to encompass themes related to corporealities, sexualities, and gender expressions that challenge gender binarism and heterosexual normativity. The methodology adopted involved creating a workshop using news from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo from the 1970s, a time characterized by an increase in the number of news about non-heterosexual individuals. The newspaper, due to its historical relevance in shaping public opinion, was used as a resource for constructing narratives that establish connections between past events and current issues. Four dynamics were developed to address the clinical-surgical perspective on 'sex change', the artistic character of non-heterosexual individuals in the 1970s, the hygienist policy against transvestites in São Paulo, police violence, and the political organization of these subjects against repression. Through the workshop, students were able to question pre-established concepts and raise issues such as the use of the bathroom by trans people and the possibility of sex change. Finally, they demonstrated recognizing the school as a space for LGBTQIA+ sociability, which reinforces the importance of discussing these issues within this environment.