Bisexuality and HIV/AIDS in Mexico

Abstract

Popular culture in Mexico is replete with talk of men who are so macho that they have sex with both men and women. Men are in conformance with the cultural norms and expectations of men in Mexican society regardless of who they penetrate sexually. It is however far less socially acceptable for a man to allow himself to be penetrated by another man. The authors investigated the nature of sexual culture among a group of construction workers on the building site of a horizontal condominium of 10 houses in the Magdalena Contreras District. During the November 1989 to February 1990 study the number of building workers fluctuated between 50 and 100. Study data were obtained in covert fashion from 22 workers of different ages by a young male social scientist observer appointed as assistant to the project foremans son-in-law. The researcher worked during the daytime and socialized during off hours with his subjects. Four key informants provided the bulk of the information on sexual values and conduct and upon the role of bisexuality in their lives. The work site was found to be a sexual charged atmosphere filled with constant sexual games and plays upon words with sexual content. The men commonly recount their adventures with women and other men albeit always in the role of penetrator. Although the investigator did not directly question whether or not the workers had sexual relations with each other the site architects reported frequently hearing about such behavior typically alcohol related. Transvestites and male prostitutes interviewed confirmed that the construction workers had sex with other men. Young male teenagers on the site tend to try to find skilled workers to protect them from being raped. More than half of the men reported having contracted a sexually transmitted disease at some time. This bisexual behavior central to the prevailing male dominance and machismo in Mexican culture should be studied in different social and working environments particularly as it relates to the risk of HIV transmission.