Linguagem, gênero e sexualidade na educação de jovens e adultos: uma proposta de multiletramentos críticos

Abstract

Gender and sexuality at school are controversial themes that often present obstacles in the pedagogical practice (MOITA LOPES, 2013). Contrary to popular belief, addressing these issues cannot be limited to talking openly about safe sexual practices or to discussing teenage pregnancy, nor does it aim at exposing students to objects or apparatuses that incite sexual practice. With a broader understanding about how gender issues and experiences about diverse sexualities may impact students’ healthy development and their relationship with learning in the school environment, this qualitative and interpretative study, situated in the scope of indisciplinary applied linguistics (KLEIMAN, 2013; MOITA LOPES, 2006), analyzes the recurrence of the themes of gender and sexuality in this context and suggests ways of addressing them in the classroom, based on multiliteracy practices (COPE; KALANTZIS, 2015; ROJO, 2012), in Portuguese language classes in Youth and Adult Education (YAE) through practices of reading, linguistic analysis and writing guided by the Curriculum Proposal for Youth and Adult Education (BRASIL, 2002). Therefore, the aims of this investigation are twofold: 1) to identify and discuss which linguistic terms have been used in the school context to address gender identities and sexualities, and 2) to present a pedagogical proposal to incorporate the proposed themes based on the functionalities of language (ANTUNES, 2009; BAGNO, 2009). Overall results indicate the need for an approach to gender identities and sexualities in the school context that contests essentialist views of individuals and fosters an attitude of respect towards diversity in light of the challenges posed by contemporary society beyond the school walls.