Práticas sexuais de risco entre homens

Abstract

The preventive discourse imposed on sexual minorities orders the use of the condom and regulated life hygiene. The risky sexual behaviors seem to express, partially, the rejection of this dominating discourse. The objective of this study is to better understand the bonds between the risky sexual behaviors of gays and the social and cultural context that motivate the rejection of preventive practices. An ethnological study was carried out in Portugal. This study included seven gays between 19 and 64 years old. The results show that the social pressure of a hetero-normative environment can result in a prevention negation. Thus, the risky sexual behaviors reflect the aspiration for more rights and freedom. New spaces for gay meeting, in particular on the Internet, also seem to open occasions for both more sexual freedom and more sexual practices of risk. However, the preventive practices are not absent, the reduction of risk is expressed by the choice of partner and the avoidance of some sexual practices when the condom is not used. This study points the importance of the pars’ group for the acceptance and interiorisation of preventive discourses.