HIV PREVENTION INTERVENTION FOR LATINO GAY MEN

HIV Prevention Intervention For Latino Gay Men



HIV Prevention Intervention For Latino Gay Men

Gay Men

The images, experiences, and histories of gay men are multifaceted. Social-science research has shown that gay men come from all racial and ethnic experiences and include men from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Still, some of the most persistent and dominant conceptions of gay men describe them as being white, middle-class, and well-educated. While these characteristics may very well apply to some gay men, there are others, particularly of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, who continue to challenge these stereotypical constructs. Other social forces besides race also shape our understandings of gay men. These include heterosexism and homophobia, which, in and of themselves, can be detrimental to the existence of gay men in general, but when viewed in conjunction with racial and ethnic stereotyping can also limit the ways in which people come to know and understand gay men.

Discussion On The Article

Because the term gay does not always resonate with some racial or ethnic groups, different names have been used to describe same-sex sexual contact between men, reflecting linguistic conventions and offering oppositional, or alternative, forms of self-identification. For instance, in many Latino cultures, men who have sex with men often describe themselves as either activo (active) or pasivo (passive), highlighting the behavioral aspects of homosexuality. For many blacks, meanwhile, the term same gender loving is employed in order to denote same-sex sexuality. Such terms do not necessarily exclude lesbians, bisexuals, or transgender people. For example, the term two-spirit is often used in Native American populations to refer to homosexual people in general. This is similar to the use of queer for many white and Asian groups.

The study of gay men has a long and vast history, yet its links to other social forces, such as nationality, religion, popular culture, and race, has only recently been explored by researchers, theorists, and others. Twentieth-century investigations of the intersections of race and homosexuality have been fueled by numerous forces, such as feminist inquiry, the U.S. Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s, identity politics, and research on HIV and AIDS. Still, forces such as homophobia (the fear of homosexuals and homosexuality, often accompanied by negative thoughts, feelings, and actions against this group) and heterosexism (the belief that heterosexuality is the basis of all social interaction, and that same-sex families, unions, and interactions should not be allowed) continue to shape the ways in which gay men live their lives and are represented by others.

Embedded in discussions and examinations of homosexuality are the arguments that link it to nature and to various social forces. Does nature dictate beliefs about homosexuality (the essentialist view), or is homosexuality a product of socially constructed norms and behaviors (the social constructivist view)? This is one of the most salient dichotomies present in the study of sexuality in general. Throughout history, attempts have been made to link homosexuality to nature, to the environment, to the psyche, to race, and to ...