Identity and Representation within the Contemporary Brazilian LGBT Movement

Abstract

Social movements engage in processes of identity work to construct and reconstruct collective identities. Within movements characterized by identity differences, such as contemporary LGBT movements, demands for representation of individual identities challenge the collective movement to perform hard identity work. What strategies do trans activists utilize to achieve representation within the collective Brazilian LGBT movement? This research argues that processes of movement institutionalization within the State condition opportunities and strategies for conducting hard identity work. At the meso-level, institutionalization within State-apparatus of participatory governance provide new opportunities and strategies for the LGBT movement to negotiate representation. At the micro-level, institutionalization within State-sponsored public policy leads to innovative discursive strategies for contending and negotiating representation. Together, meso and micro level processes offer important strategies for the collective LGBT movement to address some of its most divisive internal conflicts in productive ways. This research employs a multi-method research approach through analysis of quantitative policy measurements, archival policy data, semi-structured interviews, and participant-observation during the 2014 calendar year.