PATTERNS OF MASCULINITY AND VIOLENCE AGAINST GAYS AND TRANSVESTITES IN THE CITY OF CATOLÉ DO ROCHA-PB
Masculinity; Heteroterrorism; Territory.
Introduction: The 21st century is marked by wars, pandemics, environmental destruction, economic and social crises, and amidst all this, man emerges as the protagonist in the appropriation of goods and bodies, often through violence. This indicates the urgency to rethink the historically assigned roles of men within society. Objective: In this regard, the present study aims to analyze patterns of masculinity and violence against gays and transvestites individuals in the city of Catolé do Rocha, located in the sertão (arid land) of Paraíba, Brazil. In this interim, it is important to introduce the concept of heteroterrorism and highlight the indicators of violence against LGBTQIAPN+ individuals in Brazil and in the state, focusing on the specificities of the studied territory. Methodology: To achieve this, this social research has a descriptive and qualitative nature, selecting gay and transgenders individuals residing in the city of Catolé do Rocha-PB through the snowball technique, with in-person interviews guided by a semi-structured script. The data were analyzed using Bardin's Content Analysis technique, aiming to identify machism attitudes that evidence the investigated types of violence. Results: The identified difficulties included: fragility of public policies in protecting rights; exclusion, violence, social control, misinformation, and regression strengthened by macho culture. Considerations: This study highlights the courage and resistance of gays and tranvestites individuals in the discussed territory, emphasizes the scarcity of publications on the subject in the interior of the Paraíba countryside, contributes to theoretical construction and internalization of these studies, encourages local LGBTQIAPN+ activism, and calls for social, institutional, and individual efforts to eradicate discriminatory, prejudiced, and violent attitudes.