Análise da percepção de estudantes universitários sobre o preconceito contra minorias sexuais e de gênero

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, travesti, transgender, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBT+) individuals face prejudice on a daily basis due to not conforming to a hetero-cis-normative “standard.” Moreover, in the university context, they experience discrimination manifested in subtle, everyday attitudes that seek to reinforce and perpetuate socially established prejudice. Objective: To analyze university students’ perception of prejudice against sexual and gender minorities. Methodology: This is a qualitative research study, conducted with students from a public university in the interior of the state of São Paulo, through semi-structured interviews that were recorded, fully transcribed, and analyzed using the IRAMUTEQ software, through content analysis. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Carlos under opinion no. 5.954.087, CAAE no. 64624622.9.0000.5504. Results: Eleven interviews were conducted and grouped into four classes: (1) Support networks against prejudice, (2) Prejudice against LGBT+ people in the university context, (3) University spaces: safety and/or prejudice?, and (4) Daily life and coping with prejudice. Discussion: It was found that much of the prejudice is located in the teacher-student relationship. However, due to the unequal hierarchical relationship and the instability of students’ positions, they feel discouraged from reporting such occurrences, fearing retaliation. In addition, students who do not fit the cis-heteronormative “standard” also face another form of prejudice—more silent—mainly through looks. Reports of prejudice were also more frequent among students in Exact Sciences courses, in line with existing scientific findings on the subject (ALONSO-MARTÍNEZ, 2021; SANTOS, CERQUEIRA-SANTOS, 2022). Final Considerations: The results of this study enabled the identification and analysis of university students’ perception of prejudice against LGBT+ individuals, generating insights toward mitigating prejudice in the university context. This contributes to the development of university policies aimed at reducing this reality of violence, which leads to harm and illness among LGBT+ students.