Abstract
In this article, we explore how the discourses around gender are evolving at the core of Brazilian politics. Our focus lies on the discourses at the public hearing on the bill 3.492/19, which aimed at including “gender ideology” on the list of heinous crimes. We aim to identify the deputies’ linguistic representation of social actors as pertaining to in- and outgroups. In addition, the article analyzes through Critical Discourse Analysis how the terminology gender is represented in this particular hearing. The analysis shows how some of the conservative parliamentarians give a clearly negative meaning to the term gender, by labeling it “gender ideology” and additionally connecting it with heinous crimes. We propose that the re-signification of “gender ideology,” from rhetorical invention to heinous crime, is not only an attempt to undermine scientific gender studies but also a way for conservative deputies to gain more political power.
Highlights
Right-wing politicians throughout the world have been using the concept of gender synonymously with “gender ideology,” which has strong negative connotations in their discourses (Corrêa and Kalil, 2020)
We propose that the re-signification of the term gender as heinous crimes is a way for conservative deputies to gain even more political power
The overall aim of this paper was to explore, through Critical Discourse Analysis, how the discourses around gender are evolving at the Chamber of Deputies in Brazil
Summary
Right-wing politicians throughout the world have been using the concept of gender synonymously with “gender ideology,” which has strong negative connotations in their discourses (Corrêa and Kalil, 2020). In Brazil, many parliamentarians from conservative right parties continuously launch bills and laws where the term gender is filled with any (negative) meaning that may be appropriate for their political goals. The bill, which was authored by Bia Kicis, Carla Zambelli and Eduardo Bolsonaro (all from the extreme right-wing party PSL), was proposed as a response to the assassination of the 9-year-old boy Rhuan Maycon committed by his mother and her girlfriend on May 31st, 2019. The mother Rosana and her partner Kacyla said, when asked by a police officer, that Rhuan wanted to become a girl and they decided to help him. The assassination of the boy occurred, according to Rosana and Kacyla, because the boy had become a hindrance for their relationship.
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