Clinical Sexology in Contemporary Brazil: The Professional Dispute Among Divergent Medical Views on Gender and Sexuality

This article presents the emergence and development of Brazilian modern sexology. Our research shows that the transition from a holistic view of sexology, typical of the pioneers of the field, to a narrower perspective, specific of the adherents of sexual medicine, corresponds to changes in the way sexuality and gender are conceived and also to changes in the equilibrium of power between the professionals competing for hegemony in the field. It is also argued that the tensions present in the Brazilian sexological field are part of a global trend that corresponds to the contrast between sexual health and sexual medicine.