https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768618792810 Social Compass 1–17 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0037768618792810 journals.sagepub.com/home/scp social compass Conservative religious activism in the Brazilian Congress: Sexual agendas in focus Brenda CARRANZA Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Brazil Christina VITAL DA CUNHA Federal Fluminense University, Brazil Abstract In this article, we aim to reflect on the emergence and manipulation of social feelings in the context of intense transformations, called cold periods in history by Durkheim. The event known in the mainstream media as the ‘gay kit’, and political and religious articulations surrounding its suppression in 2011, is the empirical basis for our analysis. As a counterpoint, we will identify narratives and conservative activism organized around Bill No. 6583/2013, also known as the Family Statute, which has been the subject of numerous public debates, especially in 2015. In both cases, we reflect on social fears, morally based panic and on the situated activation of the rhetoric of loss by politicians with religious conservative liberal profiles. Keywords Evangelical Parliamentary Front, homophobia, politics, religion, religious conservative activism Résumé Le propos de cet article est de réfléchir sur l’émergence et la manipulation de sentiments sociaux dans le contexte de transformations intenses, appelées par Durkheim « périodes froides de l’histoire ». La base empirique de notre analyse est Corresponding author: Brenda Carranza, Rua Dr. Quirino 1733 Campinas, São Paulo, 13015082 Brazil. Email: brenda_poveda@terra.com.br 792810SCP 0 0 10.1177/0037768618792810Social CompassCarranza and Vital Da Cunha: Conservative religious activism in the Brazilian Congress research-article 2018 Article