Equality Policies and Intersections of Gender and Sexuality: the Role of Academic Research

Abstract

Gender inequalities are a reality in economic, political and social participation. The lives of women and men, either cisgender or transgender, are deeply affected by gender inequalities. The identity-based approach to equality policies do not consider the interconnections and interdependence of diverse identity categories, and the acknowledgment that it is not possible to explain inequalities through a single framework. Sexual orientation equality policies often fail to take gender inequalities into account. Academic research has the potential to contribute to clarify the concepts underlying equality policies and to promote an intersectional approach. In terms of equality policies this means, for instance, to formulate policies that take into account groups at the different intersections of inequalities and the way that they are affected by the policies in question. This work aims to explore the contribution of the Portuguese research community to sexual orientation equality policies in Portugal. It will analyze in what extent the academic research in Portugal contributes to question identity-based politics and to advance an intersectional approach to sexual orientation equality policies. It will focus on and critically analyze equality policies in Portugal, and scientific and scholarly publications, namely journal articles, conference papers, theses, and dissertations of the Portuguese academia.