| 706 Room 520-B | Sexuality and Media Wednesday, July 13, 2005 Time: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM |
Why they call it sex when they want to say love? Gay Hispano men online, attitudes, sexual practises and risk behaviours.
Guevara, Miguel *,1, Levy, Joseph2, Engler, Kim2, Frigault, Louis-Robert2, 1 University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain2 Université de Québec à Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
ABSTRACT- Objective:The objective of this study is to analyze the meaning that sexual and romantic relationships have for Montreal gay Hispano men in the context of the socio-sexual uses of internet and immigration in Canada, and its implications on the adoption of sexual risks. Method:Ten individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in Spanish, exploring five areas; uses of Internet, history of sexual experiences and coming-out, HIV/AIDS risk and prevention strategies, homosexual identity evaluation and integration into communities. Content of interwiews was analyzed using the ATLAS 1.0 software and the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA, Smith, J. & Osborn, M. (1996, 1997, 2003) was chosen as analytical method. Results:Isolation, derived from experiences of social rejection (as gay men, immigrants and Hispano) was expressed by interviewees to constitute the primary motivation in order to meet romantic/sexual partners online. Internet was judged as an efficient mean to provide potential sexual relationships but not romantic ones. Sexual risks were assumed in our sample as a price to pay in order to meet a romantic partner. Conclusions:Socio-cultural influences, sexual identity formation and immigration processes, seem to influence the feeling of isolation that guide Montreal gay Hispano men in trying to establish a romantic relationship by which they could alleviate their personal and psychological suffering. Sexual risk assumption could be interpreted as part of this process of quest for love.
Key words: Internet, sexual orientation, cultural minorities (HIspano men), sexual risks