“In Defense of Children, Family, and Christian Values”: Analysis of the “Gender Ideology” Discourse in the Chamber of Deputies

Abstract

Over the last decade, we have witnessed the advancement of political conservatism in the Brazilian public sphere, driven by various actors who have been influencing public agendas and governmental institutions. The term “gender ideology” is present in this context of the diffusion of conservative ideas. It is a reaction discourse to the advancement of feminist and LGBTI+ movements in Brazilian institutions. In this article, we seek to analyze the presence of the term “gender ideology” in legislative discussions in the Chamber of Deputies. For this analysis, we selected 19 speeches of federal deputies who used “gender ideology” from three legislative sessions. We set out to comprehend how they used this term in the discussions, examining the representations, meanings, and associated themes; the rhetorical and argumentative structuring; the strategic directions; the mobilized identities; and the ideological disputes at stake and their sociocultural and political outcomes.

Keywords:
Gender; Sexuality; Conservatism; Critical Discourse Analysis; Political Psychology