A RAINBOW: TEACHER PERCEPTIONS ON LGBTI+ ISSUES IN CAS DE MOSSORÓ/RN
Teaching practice; LGBTI+; Deaf Subjects; CAS-Mossoró/RN.
Educational practice often neglects to address issues related to sexuality and gender, privileging
the heteronormativity that commonly permeates the school environment. In the context of
teaching aimed at Deaf students, this gap becomes even more evident, since ableism often
makes invisible the possibility of these individuals having sexual orientations and gender
identities outside established norms. Consequently, the effective dialogue between diversity
and inclusion represents a substantial challenge for contemporary educators. This study aims to
understand whether teachers at the State Center for Educator Training and Services for the Deaf
(CAS) promote discussions about LGBTI+ issues. To achieve this objective, interactions were
carried out with teachers through group dynamics based on the "culture circles" proposed by
Freire (1967). The theoretical basis for this investigation includes the contributions of Butler
(2018), Junqueira (2009) and Louro (1997) regarding issues of sexuality, gender and school
context, as well as the approaches of Mello (2014), Strobel ( 2009) and Skiliar (2001) on
ableism and Deaf education. The main objective is to understand, through dialogues driven by
narratives and the use of images, what CAS teachers' knowledge is about LGBTI+ issues. The
aim is to verify whether there are signs of the incorporation of sexual and gender diversity in
the teaching practice of these professionals. To facilitate the discussion and emerge generating
words/images, basic information was collected through documents, initial conversations about
CAS and the teachers' performance, routine observation with the help of diaries, in addition to
conducting open and semi-structured interviews with the director and teachers. The results
show that these issues have not been addressed clearly, the information still does not permeate
the approaches of teachers, who recognize the lack of knowledge to delve deeper into the
subject. The research reveals gaps in the educational system, with participants reporting the
absence of training or lectures on the issue, except for isolated reports, such as that of a Teacher,
who had experience related to the topic throughout all the years of work. Additionally, it was
found that, although teachers find it easy to teach about respect for diversity, they encounter
resistance when addressing the LGBTI+ issue, either due to lack of knowledge or fear of
reprimand from families or the educational system. The reflective notebooks reinforce the
limitations highlighted by the participants, highlighting the lack of information and a superficial
approach, in addition to the resistance to working on the topic. This raises reflections on the
favorable conditions for discussing LGBTI+ issues.