HOMOSEXUAL TEACHERS AND THE CHALLENGES OF HOMOPHOBIA IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

By addressing homophobia in the academic environment, we seek not only to highlight the obstacles faced by homosexual teachers, but also to propose reflections on the urgency of inclusive policies and practices that can transform the educational environment into a truly welcoming and egalitarian space for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. Thus, the general objective of this work is to raise the representations of teachers of Professional Education about prejudice and discrimination against homosexual teachers in the school environment.  Methodologically, this is a qualitative and descriptive research. Two instruments were used in data collection, the questionnaire applied to 80 teachers and the management team of 15 ETECs, and a semi-structured interview applied with 02 supervisors of the Paula Souza Center, totaling 82 participants. The results indicate that 45 (56%) of the participants had never found any situation of prejudice or discrimination against homosexual teachers at school. On the other hand, 30 (38%) claim to have witnessed such a situation in the school environment. While 5 (6%) cannot distinguish whether or not the situation falls under homophobia. In addition, 66 (83%) of the participants said they had never witnessed any case of violence, while 14 (17%) revealed that they had. We detected that verbal and symbolic violence are the two main types of violence against homosexual teachers in the ETECs, witnessed by 14 participants. We can affirm, through the representations of professional education teachers, that there are still veiled prejudices about homosexuality in the general context, and we recognize the lack and need to expand research on teacher homosexuality in the school environment, and especially the multiple possibilities of investigation in this field of knowledge.