Gênero(s) e sexualidade(s) nas normativas curriculares da educação infantil e seus reflexos no currículo da rede municipal de ensino de Dourados/MS

Abstract

Gender and sexuality relations in Brazilian Early Childhood Education have been the subject of numerous studies and extensive discussions over the past two decades. These include research, legislation, debates, and fundamental inquiries aimed at rethinking the role of education in constructing and deconstructing meanings and values. However, for education on gender and sexuality to be effective and meaningful in reducing violence stemming from these issues, it is essential for educators to have the backing of official State measures, expressed through current regulatory standards, and to be aware of them. Grounded in Decolonial Feminist Studies, in dialogue with the perspective of Cultural Studies, this research aimed to analyze the production of gender and sexuality in the educational curriculum through normative documents aimed at promoting and guiding pedagogical practices both for and in Early Childhood Education. The study is defined as qualitative documentary research, grounded in a literature review and the analysis of both primary and secondary data. The data collection involved the use of legislation and official documents (at national, state, and municipal levels) in circulation between 1997 and 2020: Constituição Federal (Brazilian Federal Constitution), Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação (Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education); Education Plans across the three levels of government; and national and municipal curricular indicators. Comparing these documents with the Curriculum of the Municipal Education Network of Dourados/MS for Early Childhood Education (nursery and preschool stages), the findings reveal the silence and inaction of the State regarding this topic. Critical reflection on current normative frameworks and the possibility of subverting them during the development and implementation of pedagogical activities is necessary, as they do not provide legal security for addressing potential resistance to Education on such diversities. There is an urgent need for local public policies to dismantle structural inequalities and overcome gender and sexuality stereotypes in Early Childhood Education (ECE).