A transformação do pensamento social sobre a transgeneridade : um estudo de minorias ativas

Abstract

The phenomena of transgender and cisgender identities raise significant issues in contemporary Brazil. Both possess specific characteristics shaped by the country’s social norms and are embedded in an intergroup dynamic in which cisgender identity aligns with the prevailing norm, while transgender identity represents an alternative understanding of gender. This research aimed to analyze whether and how social innovation regarding transgender identity occurs in Brazil, considering social media as relevant fields of interaction. The specific objectives included: identifying events that delineate social innovation through the analysis of Instagram posts from the Ministry of Citizenship and Human Rights; identifying elements of social representation and themata in the comments on those posts; and analyzing the data through the lens of the theory of active minorities. Study 1 addressed content related to changes in social thinking about transgender identity. Study 2 analyzed the comments on the same posts, seeking representational elements, antinomies, and themata. The results highlight the emergence of alternative gender norms, represented by a consistent behavioral style among trans people. This emergence generates representational tensions, manifested in conflicting discourses among different social groups. The polarization observed in the comments suggests that the transformation of social thinking does not occur in a linear or consensual manner, but as an ongoing process that is still embryonic and marked by cognitive and affective tensions