Diversidade sexual na escola : o "normal e o "anormal" em discursos de professores

Abstract

This study reports an investigation which was done during an MA course in Education, Language and Technologies at the State University of Goiás (UEG) from 2012 to 2014. It is a research whose main objective is to investigate how teachers of the elementary school place themselves discursively about sexual diversity in the school context. It also tries to identify the effects of meaning that can reinforce, challenge or constitute stereotypes of the“normal” or “abnormal” subjects according to their sexual orientation. The study, which wasconducted under the auspices of the Applied Linguistics, examines to what extent educatorscan mediate discussions about homosexuality with their students. The analysis was donethrough triangulation of data which were collected through techniques of focal group, classobservation and field notes taken by the researcher. The research field was a state school inthe city of Anápolis, state of Goiás, Brazil. The research was based on the theoreticalprinciples of the Critical Discourse Analysis and on some works of authors who deal withlanguage, education and sexuality. The results show that the teachers are open to discussissues related to sexual diversity. However, the interpretation of the effects of meaning oftheir discourses shows evidence that they have difficulties in doing so and reveals socialpractices that legitimize the derogatory construction of the “abnormal” and “strange” subjectespecially referring to the gender identity of the transvestites.