The margin has many sides: Diversity among gay and homosexually active men in lima

This paper describes the sexual culture, self-representations and behaviours of different groups of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with gay-identified men (of both working-class and middle-class backgrounds), non gay-identified men who had sex with men, fletes (young men who sell homosex) and travestis. Issues explored included ideas about 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. Rather, various sub-cultures coalesce which are intertwined and mutually determined. Ideologies structuring relationships within these sub-cultures range from the more traditional (in which ordinary males perform as activos with feminized pasivo males), to contemporary Western patterns of gay-identified equals able to exchange sexual roles. An appreciation of this cultural diversity is central to an understanding of sexual risk taking and the development of community organization and citizenship consciousness.