In Brazil, the medical school reform grounded on preventive medicine was disseminated, to a large extent, during the military dictatorship (1964-1985). The preventivist project is investigated here beyond a curricular reorganization, as it had a social and political role. This role was clearly visible, specifically, in the way in which it characterized homosexuals in the military dictatorship. We analyzed publications of the newspaper “Jornal do Brasil” about scientific conferences that focused on preventivism in the fight against youth’s deviant behaviors, emphasizing homosexuality. Sérgio Arouca’s doctoral dissertation structured the main discussions and grounded the analysis of the collected publications. As a result, homosexuals, seen as degenerate since the 19th century, were described as pathological threats to the family, morals and national security; thus, prophylaxis was necessary through medical-preventive recommendations in the school and family environments and through the State’s direct political repression.
Preventive medicine; Preventive psychiatry.; Sexual minorities