The Deviant, the Arts and the City

Non-male population claims the right to city through the means of culture

Abstract

This article examines how cultural production by peripheral women and LGBTQIAPN+ individuals functions as a mechanism of resistance and as a claim to the right to the city. Based on ongoing research within the Project and City Graduate Program at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), the study investigates the symbolic and material exclusion of non-masculine bodies from urban space, with a focus on the city of Goiânia. Grounded in an intersectional and feminist approach, the research combines a literature review with an analysis of secondary data concerning the presence and visibility of non-masculine subjects in the cultural field. The findings reveal a significant concentration of resources and institutional recognition around cisgender male figures, while peripheral and dissident productions by women and gender-diverse individuals remain underrepresented and delegitimized. In light of the lack of inclusive cultural policies and the centralization of cultural infrastructure, art produced on the margins emerges as a form of (r)existence and territorialization. The article argues that the right to the city goes beyond physical access and encompasses the symbolic and political recognition of dissident cultural expressions.