Generations, changes and continuities in the social experience of male homosexuality and the HIV -AIDS epidemic

Abstract

This article discusses changes and continuities in the social experience of male homosexuality and the HIV-AIDS epidemic in Brazil from a perspective of generation. Two timeframes are privileged: those who experienced the emergence of AIDS in the1980s and those who faced it since the implementation of antiretroviral therapies, from the middle of
the 1990s onward. To characterize the older generation, I use qualitative research results obtained from people who identify as “gay” and share a middle-class situation, with a high level of schooling, mostly white, between the ages of 50 and 70. For the younger generation, results of researches with young men regarding AIDS prevention and preliminary results of an exploratory research on dating apps profiles are used. The discussion problematizes the increasing role of individual responsibility in the management of risks and care related to HIV-AIDS in a context where prevention and education public actions are retreating.