A Brazilian trans historian caused quite the stir on Thursday when she showed students her rear after getting up and twerking during a lecture.
Tertuliana Lustosa, a researcher at the University of Bahia, graced students with an erotic dance which was performed as part of her gender and sexuality lecture at the Federal University of Maranhão, where she was a guest speaker.
A video that captured the moment shows Lustosa, who is wearing a tight black mini dress, climbing onto a chair, lifting her dress and exposing her private parts.
‘Educating with my a**’, she can be heard chanting at the end of her act, while students applaud and cheer.
The lecturer’s dance has provoked a mix of reactions, with several social media users praising the academic, while others argued that it was too inappropriate and ‘shameful’ for an academic environment.
‘As a student at a public university in Maranhão, I feel immensely embarrassed seeing a scene like this in an educational environment. I completely reject this ridiculous and disgusting scene’, one Instagram user commented.
Another commented: ‘We cannot normalize behavior like this within a space dedicated to education! This is ABSURD! Crossed all limits of common sense and civility’.
But the lecturer, who posted the video of herself twerking in class on Instagram, defended her actions, calling her performance a part of her ‘liberating pedagogy’.
‘I invite you to check out my research: Educating with A** and understand that a university is a place of multiple forms of knowledge, including prohibition’, she wrote in the caption.
Commenting on the incident, the University of Maranhão said: ‘This Thursday, the 17th, historian Tertuliana Lustosa, as a guest speaker by the Epistemology of Anthropology, Ethnology and Politics Research Group – GAEP, presented her research during the Round Table ‘Gender and sexuality dissidences’, in which she reproduced and performed one of her songs, considered inappropriate for the moment and the construction of the academic-scientific debate in which she found herself.
🚨😳 Durante um evento na Universidade Federal do Maranhão, a historiadora Tertuliana Lustosa subiu em uma cadeira, mostrou as partes íntimas e afirmou que “educa com o c.”, durante uma mesa-redonda sobre “Dissidências de Gênero e Sexualidades”. O vídeo da “performance”… pic.twitter.com/eAEpEwxnAr
— Jornal Razão (@jornalrazao) October 17, 2024
‘As we know, the University is a pluralistic and dialogic space, dedicated to knowledge, diversity of ideas and mutual respect. Therefore, we understand that freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of academia, but we also emphasize the importance of maintaining a harmonious and respectful environment for all members of our community.
However, the university stressed it will investigate the incident and take appropriate measures after hearing all parties involved.
Lustosa is also the lead singer of music group ‘A Travestis’.
“… We cannot normalize behavior like this within a space dedicated to education! This is ABSURD!”
We cannot normalize behavior like this within a space dedicated to (normal) life!