Different preventions methods lead to different choices? Questions on HIV/AIDS prevention for men who have sex with men and other vulnerable populations.

Abstract

On the basis of an ethnographic narrative on sexual interactions observed in urban parks in large Brazilian cities, the article discusses the adoption of new strategies and methods for AIDS prevention in vulnerable populations, especially in men who have sex with men (MSM). By following some guiding questions, the text debates when, why, with whom, and in which context the new prevention methods should be adopted. It emphasizes, in agreement to the initial narrative, the importance of taking into account the prevention strategies created by the population itself to manage HIV risk infection. It also addresses how prevention practices and messages are adapted and recreated by individuals and groups in an attempt to suit them to their sexual desires, practices, and choices. In this perspective, the article recommends the inclusion of the experiences and voices of individuals and groups considered vulnerable in the new AIDS prevention methods and programs targeted to them.