With research based on focus group and individual interviews in the United States, as well as a thorough and integrative review of the current literature, Latino Gay Men and HIV discusses the six main sociocultural factors in Latino communities -- machismo, homophobia, family cohesion, sexual silence, poverty and racism--which undermine safe sex practices. In an attempt to explain the alarmingly high incidence of unprotected intercourse in this population, this in-depth cultural and psychological analysis shows how an apparent incongruence between knowledge or intention and behavior can possess its own sociocultural logic and meaning.

Telling the affecting stories of eighty gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) Latino activists and volunteers living in Chicago and San Francisco, Compañeros: Latino Activists in the Face of AIDS closely details how these individuals have been touched or transformed by the AIDS epidemic. Weaving together activists' responses to oppression and stigma, their encounters with AIDS, and their experiences as GBTs and Latinos in North America and Latin America, Jesus Ramirez-Valles explores the intersection of civic involvement with ethnic and sexual identity. Even as activists battle multiple sources of oppression, they are able to restore their sense of family connection and self-esteem through the creation of an alternative space in which community members find value in their relationships with one another. In demonstrating the transformative effects of a nurturing community environment for GBT Latinos affected by the AIDS epidemic, Ramirez-Valles illustrates that members find support in one another, as compañeros, in their struggles with homophobia, gender discrimination, racism, poverty, and forced migration.

"AIDS, Culture, and Gay Men addresses the urgent need for research on HIV and the behaviors of men who have sex with men. Based on studies in the U.S., Australia, Greece, and Belgium, the authors provide ethnographic, epidemiological, biological, and historical data and cover issues of risk, ethics, language, and the nature of evidence, all directed at developing effective forms of intervention."--Shirley Lindenbaum, City University of New York "This book makes a compelling case that culturally oriented anthropological research is essential in understanding and responding to the AIDS crises among MSM and in gay communities."--Serena Nanda, City University of New York There are approximately seven million adult gay and bisexual men in the United States and 120 million adult gay and bisexual men globally. This highly readable volume of original essays explores the cultural dimensions of AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM). The traditional emphasis in HIV/AIDS research within gay communities has focused on sexual behavior and psychological issues. Yet to better understand the social and cultural dimensions of the disease, and to halt the spread of HIV, it is essential to recognize and understand the culture of MSM. Cultural anthropologists, unquestionably, are in a unique position to achieve this understanding. Douglas Feldman has gathered a diverse group of experts to contribute to this collection, and the volume features a wealth of scholarly data unavailable elsewhere.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been a major catastrophe for gay communities. In less than two decades, the disease has profoundly changed the lives of gay men and lesbians. Not just a biological and viral agent, HIV has become an opportunistic social invader, reshaping communities and the distribution of wealth, altering the social careers of gay professionals and the patterns of entry into gay and lesbian life, and giving birth to groups like ACT UP and Queer Nation. The distinguished contributors to this volume discuss the ways HIV/AIDS has changed collective and individual identities, as well as lives, of gay men and lesbians, and how these alterations have changed our perceptions of the epidemic. They cover such topics as the impact of the epidemic on small towns, cultural barriers to AIDS prevention, gay youth and intergenerational relations, and the roles of lesbians in AIDS organizations. This collection provides compelling insights into the new communities among gay men and lesbians and the new kinds of identities and relationships that are emerging from the social and cultural ferment engendered by HIV/AIDS. Contributors include Barry D. Adam, Lourdes Arguelles, Rafael Miguel Diaz, John H. Gagnon, Gilbert Herdt, Gregory M. Herek, Nan D. Hunter, Peter M. Nardi, John L. Peterson, Anne Rivero, Gayle S. Rubin, Beth E. Schneider, and Nancy E. Stoller.

With research based on focus group and individual interviews in the United States, as well as a thorough and integrative review of the current literature, Latino Gay Men and HIV discusses the six main sociocultural factors in Latino communities -- machismo, homophobia, family cohesion, sexual silence, poverty and racism--which undermine safe sex practices. In an attempt to explain the alarmingly high incidence of unprotected intercourse in this population, this in-depth cultural and psychological analysis shows how an apparent incongruence between knowledge or intention and behavior can possess its own sociocultural logic and meaning.

This is the first concise handbook on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) health in the past few years. It breaks the myths, breaks the silence, and breaks new ground on this subject. This resource offers a multidimensional picture of LGBT health across clinical and social disciplines to give readers a full and nuanced understanding of these diverse populations. It contains real-world matters of definition and self-definition, meticulous analyses of stressor and health outcomes, a extensive coverage of research methodology concerns, and critical insights into the sociopolitical context of LGBT individuals’ health and lives.

Latino Truck Driver Trade: Sex and HIV In Central America uncovers the incredible danger that truck drivers put themselves in by risking HIV infection and why Latin sexual culture does not always define men who participate in sexual acts with other men as "homosexual." Exploring the concept of "machismo" and why truck drivers act very "manly" (to avoid being teased or being made fun of) through interviews with truck drivers, this detailed account gives insight into how friends pressure others to perform sexual acts, drink alcohol, and take drugs in order to "fit in""--Jacket.

HIV alters the lives of anyone that it touches, whether they are gay or straight. This book looks at all of the aspects of how HIV/AIDS has altered the lives of those it touches. . . . The titles of the 12 chapters give an excellent overview of what is covered in these extremely well-written reports. . . . This is a must-read book for everyone. It should be in all libraries, including school libraries. Young adolescents who are facing the problem of coming out would benefit from this book. --AIDS Book Review Journal Hit hard by the AIDS epidemic in the United States and in much of Europe, the gay and lesbian community has been forced to examine existing notions of what it means to belong to a community based on sexual orientation. The editors of this second volume in the annual series Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Issues have collected a perceptive array of chapters that explore sexual behavior, personal identity, and community memberships of gay men and lesbian women. With the exception of a few, the chapters reflect study findings from AIDS-related research and include discussions of AIDS in large urban centers and in less populated settings outside of major AIDS epicenters. Focusing on underconsidered AIDS populations, the contributors explore specific topics concerning the AIDS epidemic among gay and bisexual men of color, lesbian women, and gay and lesbian youth. Accessible and sensitive, the book also examines relevant public policy, volunteerism, and long-term survival as important to AIDS awareness and education. AIDS, Identity, and Community is an appreciable resource for AIDS researchers and caregivers, mental health practitioners, social service professionals, behavioral and social science students, and any reader who seeks deeper insight into the complex and subtle areas of the lesbian and gay community in the AIDS era.

This text, written by leading authorities on theory, research and practice in preventing HIV with diverse Latino populations and communities, responds to the diminishing returns of the behavioural model of HIV risk by deconstructing the many social ecological contexts of risk within the Latino experience.

This pioneering collection of ten ethnographically rich essays signals the emergence of a new paradigm of social analysis committed to understanding and analyzing social oppression in the context of sexuality and gender. The contributors, an interdisciplinary group of social scientists representing anthropology, sociology, public health, and psychology, illuminate the role of sexuality in producing and reproducing inequality, difference, and structural violence among a range of populations in various geographic, historical, and cultural arenas. In particular, the essays consider racial minorities including Hispanics, Koreans, and African Americans; discuss disabled people; examine issues including substance abuse, sexual coercion, and HIV/AIDS; and delve into other topics including religion and politics. Rather than emphasizing sexuality as an individual trait, the essays view it as a social phenomenon, focusing in particular on cultural meaning and real-world processes of inequality such as racism and homophobia. The authors address the complex and challenging question of how the research under discussion here can make a real contribution to the struggle for social justice.