Myths, Categories, and Crystals: Revisiting the Classics on the Brazilian Homosexual Movement

Abstract

This paper revisits the classic literature on the Brazilian Homosexual Movement (Movimento Homossexual Brasileiro, MHB). It discusses the inherent difficulties of the social movement category and demonstrates how the dissemination and incorporation of the founding myth and the idea that the artisanal gay press, except for Snob and Gente Gay, contained only gossip and parodies. Lastly, it proposes a methodology for examining the constitution of social movements whose actors are marked by disqualification dynamics (LGBTI+ people, blacks, indigenous peoples, women, prostitutes) which, in addition to being procedural, contemplates the consistent challenge in overcoming the introjection of the deteriorated identity. Its theoretical approach is based on Maria da Glória Gohn, E. P. Thompson, Peter Burke, Howard Becker, and Michel de Certeau.