Ocupar, preservar e mediar:

o Museu da Diversidade Sexual e a Museologia LGBTQIA+

Abstract

This article presents an analytical experience report based on a formative immersion carried out at the Museum of Sexual Diversity (Museu da Diversidade Sexual – MDS), in São Paulo, between October 1st and 3rd. Situated within the field of so-called adjectivized museologies, the study understands LGBTQIA+ Museology as a critical approach that challenges traditional museological practices and claims the legitimacy of dissident memories within the cultural heritage field. Through the observation of museological processes, collection policies, curatorial strategies, and educational mediation practices, the article analyzes how the MDS articulates symbolic occupation of urban space, preservation of historically marginalized narratives, and social mediation aimed at producing belonging and recognition. The discussion also addresses the use of replicas and digital collections as museological strategies in response to historical erasures, engaging with debates on authenticity, reproduction, and the social function of museum objects. The reflections are expanded through comparisons with more traditional museum institutions, highlighting both the limits and possibilities of incorporating LGBTQIA+ narratives into the Brazilian museological field. The study argues for the museum as a political, pedagogical, and affective space, in which memory is understood as a right, a strategy of resistance, and an instrument of social justice.