Abstract

PIP: This study provides a perspective on the sexual culture, self-representations and behaviors of men who have sex with men. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with gay-identified men from both working class and middle-class backgrounds, non-gay-identified men who had sex with men, "fletes" (young men who sell homosexual sex), and transvestites. Ages among the study group ranged from 18 to 35. Issues explored included homosexuality and bisexuality, sexual experiences, socialization and support networks, "fleteo" and prostitution, AIDS-related concerns, emotional attachment, sexual identity and self-image. Findings suggest that a unitary homosexual culture does not exist in Lima. Ideologies structuring relationships within homoerotic culture range from more the more traditional, in which relationships are organized according to gender-transformed relationships, whereby ordinary males performed as "activos" with feminized "pasivo" males, to contemporary Western patterns involving equals who are able to exchange sexual roles. Awareness of this diversity should facilitate the identification of different sexual health needs and the protection of sexual rights, leading to the development of programs more sensitive to the cultural heterogeneity of male homosexualities in Lima.