Ontem usei calças, hoje tomo hormonas e amanhã será a cirurgia de redesignação: processo de desconstrução do corpo feminino para a construção do corpo masculino dos homens transgénero na cidade e província de Maputo.

Abstract

This study deals with the (de)construction of the bodies of transgender men in the City and Province of Maputo. Its general aim is to understand the factors that influence the process of constructing this body and, specifically, it aims to explain the factors that influence the deconstruction of transgender men. As a basic theory, we opted for Judith Butler's Gender Theory, which allowed us to understand that gender is not fixed, but performative, since it is circumscribed in the body. With this in mind, this study finds that the (de)construction of the body of transgender men in Maputo is carried out through their repeated performances, when they adopt masculine clothes, typically masculine ways of walking and talking, and physical exercise practices to materialise the body of a man. To achieve our objectives, we used a qualitative approach in which we applied life stories recorded through oral reports with eight (8) transgender men. In addition, we also found that the transgender men in this research are subjected to rituals to cure their transgenderism by their family members, but that these rituals are unsuccessful. Still on the results, our interviewees revealed that interaction with other transgender people influenced them to come out and construct their identities, as well as their involvement in LGBTQI+ social movements (LAMBDA and Transform). Lastly, the results revealed that the transgender men in this research deconstruct their bodies because they are driven by the desire to be free and to be legitimised and recognised as men, thus distancing themselves from masculine lesbians. As a result of the study, we found that there is a set of objective factors (family support and reference groups) and subjective factors (the need to assume transgender status) that influence the (de)construction of the body, with the freedom to experience identity and the desire to harmonise body, mind and gender being the subjective factors that explain this construction