Dissertation proposal by Luiza Eduarda dos Santos analyzes the spread of panic discourse against transgenders

Journalist Luiza Eduarda dos Santos became the first transwoman to complete a master's degree at Feevale University. Luiza has a master's degree from the Postgraduate Program in Cultural Processes and Manifestations, with the research Entre Abjeções e Invasões de Espaço: o discurso do trans panic e a ONG Minha Criança Trans.

Luiza's dissertation proposal is inspired by her condition of transsexuality and her long engagement with transactivism. The work aims to demonstrate how several discriminatory segments act and point out possible alternatives for coping, contributing to the search for a more empathetic, altruistic and caring society. The dissertation deals with the transpanic discourse based on posts on the social network Instagram, considering the participation of the NGO “Minha Criança Trans” in the LBGT Pride Parade in São Paulo, in June 2023.

The proposal analyzes the dissemination of panic discourse against transpeople, a strategy adopted on social networks, to create fear and disseminate myths, stigmas and taboos against trans people to dehumanize, scorn, deny access to spaces and rights, as well as criminalizing transpeople through fear of social coexistence.

Luiza says it is a privilege and an honor to complete her master’s degree. “According to the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals, only 0.02% of trans and transvestite people have access to universities. Therefore, it is a very big responsibility because it is not just for me, but it is representing a community of people who are very stigmatized and the target of a lot of violence due to transphobia”, he states.

For Feevale professor and Luiza's advisor, Saraí Patricia Schmidt, the work represents an important movement in the renewal of Brazilian research. "We are very motivated by Luiza's research, which represents an achievement for the research group Criança na Mídia and for postgraduate studies at Feevale. A dissertation that analyzes the relationship between the media and childhood discrimination in a context of violence such as Brazil represents the researcher's determination in times of exclusion. Courageous research, carried out with academic rigor and which expands the debate on human rights", she highlights. The panel is made of professors Claudia Schemes, from Feevale University, and Thais Furtado, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).