History, Sexuality, and Gender Education: Intersections and Interactions in Brazil

Building on recent literature that links gender and sexuality to contemporary forms of authoritarianism, this chapter uses the Brazilian case to explore how attacks on sex education and disputes over historical memory intersect, contradict, and at times reinforce one another. Analyzing these attacks reveals more than cultural backlash: it exposes the ideological core of a political project that seeks to symbolically regulate bodies, desires, and memory, redefining national identity by restricting belonging and silencing certain narratives, often under the guise of protecting freedom, children, and the family. By outlining key features of Brazil’s recent censorship wave, the chapter suggests that examining how gender, sexuality, and history interact offers a valuable lens for understanding broader authoritarian dynamics.