“Of gay sheep, modern Science and bad publicity”: (re)viving the ghost of sexual eugenics in the media

Abstract

The public emergence of the gay identity and culture has brought about an intense debate about sexualities in the media, which traditionally focuses on a physicalist approach, situating sexual desire and its expression in the biology of our bodies. Putting such a view under scrutiny by dislocating it to the socio-discursive domain, we aim at collaborating with the design of social futures in which sexualities are restricted neither to the homo-hetero dichotomy nor to physiological approaches. It is the concern with the production of new meanings which makes us look into media discursive practices through the articulation of deconstructivist actions (in hegemonic discursive practices) and positive actions (in innovative discursive practices) in Discourse Analysis (MARTIN, 2004). Associating these actions with Positioning Theory (DAVIES; HARRÉ, 1999) and Interactional Sociolinguistics categories (TANNEN; WALLAT, 1987/1998), we focus on an article about “gay sheep”, published in a Brazilian national daily. The analysis shows that by bringing about several voices and by creating room for different perspectives, the article is ambiguous in relation to the biological paradigm, allowing therefore for the questioning of the reductionist view of such an approach and for the inauguration of innovative meanings about sexuality.