O jornal alternativo "Lampião da Esquina" e o movimento homossexual no contexto da Ditadura Civil-Militar (1978-1981)

Abstract

"Lampião da Esquina" (1978-1981) was a Brazilian newspaper that circulated during the detente of the Civil-Military Dictatorship, focusing on the discussion of homosexuality. This work aims to analyze and reflect on the periodical and its discursive production, questioning what it reveals about the homosexual movement at the time of its production. From this perspective, it understands it as a collective act of "capture of speech" by Brazilian homosexuals, a concept that expresses a symbolic revolution led by a group seeking to integrate into the public and political space but lacking the necessary reflective foundations. Firstly, the work discusses the relationship between the Dictatorship and homosexuality, analyzing how the regime restricts the forms of sociability and visibility of this emerging subculture, making the dictatorial opening a favorable moment for the rise of this collective, also driven by a broader context of politicization of identity and homosexual organization. Next, it analyzes how the positive, intellectualized, and politicized perspective of the newspaper stands out in the media context of the time, marked by disqualifying discourses about homosexuality. Finally, recurring themes on the covers of "Lampião da Esquina" were selected - from editions available in the digital archive CEDOC - Centro de Documentação Prof Dr Luiz Mott - that effectively expressed the collective organization and symbolic revolution by Brazilian homosexuals. Through a textual-discursive analysis of the selected texts, it was concluded that the pages of the periodical are marked by the tensioning of conflicting perspectives, indicating its role in identity and political construction and discussion, not mere dissemination of a pre-established discourse. Thus, "Lampião da Esquina" is understood as an alternative media that sought to open a space for discussion for multiple agents and previously silenced discourses, serving as a valuable source to highlight and remember the historical struggle of dissident sexualities and their creative and revolutionary potential.