Violência entre parceiros íntimos na percepção de jovens das minorias sexuais

Abstract

The population of individuals who do not fit the heteronormative pattern of society such as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals (LGBT) is exposed to different types of violence arising mainly from prejudice and social rejection. Another type of violence that stands out is intimate partner violence (IPV). Gender inequality is at the root of IPV and can lead to consequences such as social isolation to suicides and homicides. Little is known about IPV among young people from sexual minorities. The aim of this study was to understand the perception that LGBT youth have about IPV. The research had a qualitative approach and was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 16 young people from sexual minorities aged 18 to 30 years on the campuses of two public universities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The script contained sociodemographic data and questions about IPV. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The analysis was carried out with the support of the webQDA software through the following steps: reading and re-reading the data, cutting the text according to categories, identifying the meanings attributed by the subjects to the questions, comparative dialogue with the literature, and interpretation with historical and sociocultural contextualization. Four categories were originated: 1- Classification of what is perceived as violence in an intimate relationship, the magnitude of its occurrence and the factors that influence it; 2- Inequalities that generate violence in same-sex relationships; 3- Implicit and explicit homophobias perceived in the university environment; 4- Recognition and confrontation of VPI. It was found that IPV among sexual minorities is perceived shyly by those involved, although all respondents have experienced or know someone who has gone through some episode of IPV. The difficulty in recognizing oneself in an abusive relationship was reiterated by the majority. Gender inequality was the most explicit with regard to the motivations for generating IPV, not leaving out other inequities, such as purchasing power and education. The university environment was seen as more welcoming than the social environment, but there was still LGBTphobia. According to participants, the educational institution does not support victims of IPV. Friends and family are the first to be contacted for support in cases of violence. The health sector was adopted as the second option. Respondents suggest measures that can be implemented both in the health sector and in the university environment, such as psychological care and conversation groups. It is concluded that young people from sexual minorities go through episodes of IPV with the aggravation of overlapping victimizations due to homophobia and greater difficulty in receiving support. The results of this study can serve as support for the formulation and improvement of public policies and programs to combat IPV of young people and the LGBT population; as well as contributing to reducing the invisibility and promoting the formulation of hypotheses for future studies.