Sexual positions, body styles and HIV risk among men who have sex with men in Recife (Brazil)

The article presents the results of an ethnographic study of the gay community in Recife (PE), conducted via participant observation and interviews. It seeks to understand sexual risk conduct among men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV, focusing on the significance of sexual positions during anal-receptive intercourse (ARI) and anal-insertive intercourse (AII). Those who practice unprotected ARI are subject to a greater risk of infection than those who practice AII. Those who practice both, ARI and AII, are amplifiers (greater chances of receiving and passing on the virus) in the transmission chains. The text addresses the emit categories related with gender identities - pintosa (female gay), boy (male gay), and cafucu (MSM and with women, non-gay, male, lower social class) - and with gender identities - active (AII), passive (ARI), and versatile (AII and ARI) - in the ways they result in sexual positions and produce sexual attraction. Masculine men are the most sexually desirable. Boys tend to relate with boys, and pintosas with cafe us. There is a significant number of versatiles, which increases the collective risk within the gay community. By means of the relations between pintosas and cafucus, there is increased danger for the virus to circulate more among the gay community and society in general.