Educational policies to combat LGBTQIAphobia in Brazil: advances and challenges

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of construction and deconstruction of public educational
policies regarding gender and sexuality as mechanisms to combat machismo, sexism, LGBTQIAphobia,
and to promote a culture of respect for sexual and gender diversity in schools, discussing advances,
setbacks, and challenges. It highlights the role of the LGBTQIA+ movement in advocating for public
policies and legislation that address its demands. It addresses the emergence of conservative movements
and political forces that seek to prohibit discussions on gender and sexual diversity in schools, such as
the proponents of gender ideology and the School Without Party Movement. It discusses the narrowing
of the anti-LGBTQIAfobia agenda within education, intensified by the rise of Jair Bolsonaro as
president. Finally, it reaffirms the school as a space for debate and understanding of gender and sexuality
and, specifically, of sexual and gender diversity.