“The vulnerables of the vulnerables”: Masculinities and Post- Exposure Prophylaxis in the Health Service in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Based on an ethnography work with users and health professionals from a specialized HIV/AIDS Service in Southern Brazil, the article discussed the application of new prevention strategies in vulnerable populations, especially among men. It argues the importance of considering the ways created and adapted by men to manage the risks of HIV infection. It also addresses how prevention practices and messages are shaped by individuals and communities, as a way of adapting them to their sexual desires and practices, with gender relationships and vulnerabilities playing a central role in the users and health professionals’ use of the health policies and the available biotechnological tools. In this sense, the article sheds light on how the construction of masculinities conforms the way in which men trigger HIV/ AIDS prevention strategies.