Chemsex at home: Homonormative aspirations and the blurring of the private/public space divide

Abstract

Sexualised drug use -usually referred to as chemsex- represents an established cultural practice among gay men in contemporary societies, mostly associated with home settings in urban areas. Against the reductionism of existing studies that conceptualize home as merely the location where chemsex occurs, the paper explores the ways in which the multidimensional character of home shapes chemsex experiences and cultures. Drawing on 25 interviews with gay men living with HIV who practice chemsex in England and Italy, the paper’s analytical effort is organised around three points. The first concerns the pleasures and affects generated by practicing chemsex at home, blurring the private/public space divide. The second regards the specific (material) configurations of home spaces that enhance the experience of chemsex. The last sheds lights on the possibilities offered by chemsex parties in private homes, for some gay men, to spend time in types of housing that they aspire to but cannot realistically achieve, while encountering men who embody homonormative ideals.