Challenging the Party, Facing Opponents: Black and LGBT+ Movements’ Political Effects under Lula’s and Dilma’s Administrations

Abstract

The institutional proximity between Black and LGBT+ movements and the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) began in the same period. However, it generated distinct political effects during the party's administration in the federal government. This article evaluates whether and how these differences can be explained by the relationship between these movements and the PT and the relationship between social movements and opposition groups. To this end, the article analyzes two sets of empirical evidence: 1) data obtained through documental and bibliographical research on the relationship between those parties and the PT; 2) data on the federal budget for racial equality and LGBT+ rights policies; 3) and data on the legislative production in favor and against these themes between the 52^nd and 54^th legislatures. The results indicate that the relationships between social movements, parties, and legislative opposition explain, at least partly, the differences in the movements' political effects. Such findings introduce new explanatory elements that enrich traditional theoretical models on the relationships between social movements, governments, and bureaucracy.

black movement; LGBT+ movement; political effects; political parties; legislative opposition