Lésbicas em Juiz de Fora: trajetórias de mulheres (1998-2025)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to understand, analyze, and historicize the life experiences of a generation of lesbian women who were part of the historical context of LGBTQIA+ rights achievements in Juiz de Fora. Through a series of genealogical oral history interviews conducted with 16 lesbian women who, to some extent, brought their lesbianism into the city's public sphere, I present reflections on social markers that permeate the life experiences of these women, especially because they are lesbians. Based on this premise, I seek to highlight the fundamental role that lesbian women played throughout the historical process of the LGBTQIA+ community's occupation of the public sphere in Juiz de Fora, focusing on their presence both within the homosexual movement and on the streets of Juiz de Fora. Furthermore, this dissertation aims to reflect on how lesbians were historically included, or excluded, both within social movements, particularly the homosexual and feminist movements, and within the historiography surrounding the history of homosexuality and women's history. Furthermore, this work also presents an initial discussion on the development of the field of lesbian historiography in Brazil.