“Operation Dyke”: Lesbians under Attack during the Brazilian Dictatorship

The Brazilian dictatorship, spanning from 1964 to 1985, was a critical period in the history of LGBTQ+ rights in Brazil. Despite censorship, repression, and human rights violations, a vibrant lesbian subculture emerged in major cities. However, visibility also brought new challenges for the community. This paper argues that the authoritarian regime associated the image of the masculinized lesbian with political subversion and the emergence of new identities such as "sapatão" (dyke) further fueled social fears of predatory and dangerous lesbians.

During the dictatorship, diffused powers implemented a policy of moral repression to control the sexuality of the population. The 1980 police attack on lesbian bars in São Paulo, led by police chief Wilson Richetti, exemplifies this process, where women were arrested solely for being or appearing to be lesbians. Meanwhile, lesbians were referenced more frequently in the media, connected to the emergence of homosexual and feminist movements in the last years of the regime, which also contributed to new ideas about sexual roles and women's liberation.

These experiences of discrimination and persecution reveal the profound impact of state-sponsored repression on the lives of Brazilian lesbians and how it reverberated in public debates. They also highlight the contrast between conservative and moralist ideas about women's sexuality and new contestatory social movements. By examining official documents from the dictatorship and press sources, we can gain insight into the experiences of Brazilian lesbians, the impact of state-sponsored repression on minority communities, and the role of social movements in challenging authoritarianism.