Impróprio para menores? Adolescentes e diversidade sexual e de gênero nas políticas públicas brasileiras contemporâneas

Abstract

This work stems from the identification of a network of actors, discourses and power plays in contemporary Brazilian society, the formation of a new social category to Brazilian public policy, the "LGBT teens." The process of constructing this "LGBT teen" is hinged to a wider process of constitution of this new population called "LGBT" as subjects of special rights for the set of actors that shape the Brazilian "state" - in its multiplicity and contradictions. The construction of this new social category starts from the intersection of several actors and multiple conceptions and morals regarding sexuality and gender, articulated to issues regarding the way young people are viewed and treated by the adult world. The paper discusses how different actors linked to the formulation and implementation of public policies deal with these young people and the discourses triggered by them. The first part of the paper presents an overview of how the relationship between sexual and gender diversity and adolescence presents itself (or not) in documents related to the field of human rights and social policies, from the following programmatic and sectoral policy areas: (i) Children and Adolescents rights, (ii) Youth rights (iii) LGBT rights, (iv) human rights, (v) health, (vi) social services, (vii) education. The second part of the study aims to monitor the conflicts related to the relationship between sexual and gender diversity and adolescence based on two experiences: (i) I present and discuss the history of the School without Homophobia Project, linked to the Ministry of Education, and the controversy generated by its development, going back to the set of actors, arenas and disputes that it involved, (ii) from the Centers for LGBT Citizenship of the State of Rio de Janeiro, government services provided in the Rio without Homophobia program, I present and discuss the set of discourses and institutional actors that challenge and are triggered by the Centers due to demands brought up by and/or related to teenagers.