Ideologia de gênero na Câmara dos Deputados: disputas, apropriações e ampliação da ofensiva (2011-2021)

Abstract

This research aims to answer the following question: has the notion of “gender ideology” been used in the Chamber of Deputies as a rhetorical tool to defend or attack what types of themes, how often and under what argumentative logic? The objective is to show how this discursive resource has been applied in practice in the Brazilian legislature over the last decade (2011-2021). Thus, from the perspective of political sociology, the aim is to advance the understanding of how Brazilian neoconservative groups incorporate this expression into their struggles – which differs from country to country – and what are the impacts of this on the national political dispute. This research begins with an overview of how “gender ideology” has developed and spread globally since it was formulated by conservative Catholics and by the Vatican itself in the mid-1990s. Then, the research analyzes more depthly the uses of this expression in Latin America and Brazil. Finally, a survey is carried out, through the online system of the Chamber of Deputies, of all mentions of the term “gender ideology” in legislative proposals and in plenary speeches made during the period studied. The data obtained allow us to consider that this rhetorical tool acquired a prominent role in the Chamber from 2015 on, and that, since then, the scope of action of congressmen who include the “gender ideology” in their legislative proposals and speeches has been progressively expanded, reaching topics that a priori have no direct relationship with gender issues, such as international trade agreements.