The meanings of work for transgender people from Natal/RN
work; meaning of work; transgender people;
Transgender people (also called trans people), those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at
birth regarding their biological sex, are the most marginalized, violated and excluded group within the LGBTI+
population (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and other designations). Starting from a history of
pathologization of their identities, the transgender and transvestite population faces several violations in family,
school, social, and institutional contexts. These interdictions directly impact the experience of these people at work, through structural transphobia in the capitalist labor society, shaped from unequal and oppressive race,
gender, and class relations. Trans people, by having their insertion in the world of work hindered, end up being
prevented from integrating sociability networks, from enjoying labor rights, from exercising political rights and
duties, and from occupying spaces and positions consistent with their professional goals and competencies.
Compulsory prostitution, exposure to various risks, massive incarceration, poverty, and denial of rights emerge
in the literature as direct consequences of these excluding labor arrangements. Even in the face of such
exclusion faced in the world of work, this sphere of life can also be perceived positively by the transgender and
transvestite population. Even in the challenging conditions imposed by informality, especially in sex work, the
literature points out that work can be perceived as a source of autonomy, of building sociability and affective
bonds, and of identity reaffirmation in trans and transvestite lives. When we consider the formal market, the
literature also indicates that the transgender and transvestite population, despite the prejudice faced in formality, also perceives work as a way of inclusion, guarantee of rights, citizenship, and dignity, especially when faced with the expectation of insertion in formal jobs. In view of this diversity of perceptions and possible apparently antagonistic meanings built by transsexuals and transvestites about work, we propose to investigate the meaning of work in the reality of this population in the city of Natal/RN, motivated by the alarming fact that this city ranks second in the Northeast and fourth nationally in number of violent deaths of transsexuals and
transvestites, according to the Dossier 2020 of the NGO REDETRANS on transphobic violence in Brazil. From
the theoretical and methodological point of view, we propose the theoretical operators "cultural meanings of work" and "personal meanings of work" to investigate the meanings of work in a semiotic-based cultural- historical perspective, through which we seek to investigate the integration between subjectivity, life trajectories and culture as central elements of the process of meaning of work for transgender and transvestite people. For methodological purposes, in-depth interviews were carried out guided by a script built from contributions of transgender people and transvestites from Natal, dedicated to know in detail the life and work stories of the 5 (five) protagonists interviewed as part of the study, being 2 (two) trans women, 2 (two) trans men and 1 (one) non-binary person. The interviews were transcribed in full and, through visual maps of the trajectories, the main biographical milestones and ruptures of the protagonists' life stories were identified, thus allowing a semiotic analysis of the process of meaning of work in their trajectories. Then, the meanings identified were discussed based on the literature on the work of the trans and transvestite population, and the various social, economic, and cultural determinants, especially in light of the reflections proposed by the Psychology of Work and Brazilian Transfeminism. We believe that identifying and understanding the meanings constructed by the trans and transvestite population about work (especially from the relationship between their trajectories and the prevailing social, historical, and cultural contexts), can contribute to elucidate how this vital sphere, a source of both exclusion and inclusion for this group, impacts their life and work trajectories, and to generate subsidies for transforming this reality through affirmative policies and actions.