Diversity in School: A Brazilian educational policy against homophobia

ABSTRACT

Diversity in School is a Brazilian initiative that seeks to increase understanding, recognition, respect, and value social and cultural differences through offering an e-learning course on gender, sexuality, and ethnic relations for teachers and school administrators in the public school system. The course and its objectives aim to enable staff and students in schools to realize their full potential through the promotion of a culture of inclusion. The course is the result of a partnership between the Brazilian government (Secretariat for Policies on Women's Affairs, Secretariat for the Promotion of Policies on Racial Equality, and the Ministry of Education), the British Council and the Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights (CLAM) from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. CLAM has developed the content and the methodology. Since 2008, 40,000 teachers have been trained all over the country. This article highlights the importance of improving understanding of gender, sexual, ethnic and racial diversity in order to create a positive learning environment inside of schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexuality
• education
• LGBT
• e-learning
• Brazil

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sergio Carrara

Sergio Carrara, PhD, is an anthropologist in Social Anthropology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, associate professor at the Institute of Social Medicine/State University of Rio de Janeiro. He is the co-founder of Latin-American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights and Editor of Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad - Revista Latinoamericana. His areas of interest are history of science and medicine, law and sexuality.

Marcos Nascimento

Marcos Nascimento, PhD, is a psychologist in Collective Health at the Institute of Social Medicine/State University of Rio de Janeiro. He is also a researcher at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, an institution of public health attached to the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a collaborator of the Latin-American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights. His areas of interest are gender, sexuality, youth and violence.

Aline Duque

Aline Duque, MSc, is a psychologist in Collective Health at the Institute of Social Medicine/State University of Rio de Janeiro, and is a member of Latin-American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights. Areas of interest include gender, sexuality and education.

Lucas Tramontano

Lucas Tramontano, PhD candidate, is a pharmacist at the Institute of Social Medicine/State University of Rio de Janeiro, and is a member of Latin-American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights. His areas of interest are male sexuality, medicalization and education.