Cena Ballroom de Sorocaba: Memórias, acolhimento e redes de apoio.

Abstract

Ballroom culture, which emerged in the United States in the 1970s, established itself as a safe space for the expression of the subjectivities and corporeality of LGBTQIAPN+ people, especially those of color who have been historically marginalized. In these environments, the community finds a territory of resistance, identity reaffirmation, and historical recovery in the face of social, political, and cultural oppression. Despite its relevance, academic research on this culture is still incipient, especially in the Brazilian context. This thesis aims to understand, using oral history methodology, the role of ballroom culture in Sorocaba, São Paulo, as a space for welcoming and psychosocial empowerment of the LGBTQIAPN+ population, with an emphasis on its precursors and the contexts that enabled its implementation in the city. Specifically, the aims are: (1) to investigate the life trajectories of those involved in the consolidation of the ballroom scene in Sorocaba, identifying their motivations and influences; (2) mapping the sociocultural contexts and processes that enabled its implementation, situating culture as a space of support and belonging; (3) examining the welcoming strategies mobilized at the events, analyzing their role in preventing psychological distress and establishing support networks; and (4) identifying elements that contribute to the cultural appreciation and visibility of the local ballroom scene. Oral history, as a methodological tool, allows us to record experiences and narratives that are often silenced, enabling the construction of a collective memory of the scene in Sorocaba. The research adopted a qualitative approach and included six semi-structured interviews with participants over 18 years of age who worked on the implementation of the culture in the city. The interviews were analyzed based on the framework of discursive practices, according to the theoretical-methodological perspective of Mary Jane Spink (2013). The results indicate that the ballroom scene in Sorocaba is configured as a territory of community care, in which performance, art, and collectivity operate as strategies for confronting structural violence associated with LGBTQIAPN+phobia, racism, and social inequalities. The motivations for engaging in ballroom are related to the search for belonging, recognition, and possibilities for identity expression, while welcoming strategies act as protective factors against psychological distress. It is concluded that ballroom culture in Sorocaba goes beyond the field of entertainment, constituting a psychosocial support network and a political device for the affirmation of dissident lives, as well as an important space for preserving the collective memory of the LGBTQIAPN+ population. The research contributes to the visibility of the local ballroom scene and to dialogues between culture, mental health, and community-based care practices.