Masculinização de homens e tecnologias de controle de gênero : a construção da identidade gay em brasileiros, classe média, cisgênero

Abstract

This study aims to identify the process of masculinization and the impacts of gender control technologies on middle-class, cisgender Brazilian men, examining possible influences on the formation of their gay identities. To conduct this research, a set of data collection instruments was assembled, focusing on participants' perceptions of their masculinization process and the construction of their identity as gay men, with responses from 200 self-identified gay participants. The material was organized and categorized using thematic content analysis as proposed by Bardin (1979). The study highlights the importance of gender control technologies in the construction of the sexual identities of gay men. These technologies perpetuates a hierarchy based on gender and the oppression of gay existences, where masculinity is valued over other expressions of identity. The research shows that masculinization is anchored in a "cistem" (Vergueiro, 2015), which naturalizes the false coherence between sex, gender, and desire. This "cistem" is sustained by cis-heteronormative logic, rigid representations of masculinity and femininity, and homophobia, guiding masculinization processes in Western culture (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2013; Gonçalves, 2023; Scott, 1995; Trindade & Nascimento, 2004; Vergueiro, 2015). The research suggests that cis-heteronormativity, hegemonic masculinity, and homophobia function as technologies of gender control, acting respectively as rule, standard, and punishment. These technologies organize, guide, establish prescriptions, and punish subjects based on masculine behavior guidelines, demanding that men meet masculinizing criteria to be recognized as such by their peers.