“HIV-Positivity and HIV-Negativity: Two Sides of the Same Coin”. Narratives of HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Gay Men on HIV and Intimate Relationships in Greece

Abstract

This chapter explores HIV-positivity and HIV-negativity as socio-symbolic realities in the Greek cultural context, and considers their influence on mixed-status, same-sex male couples. It draws on a qualitative study conducted in 2006 before the advent of biomedical HIV prevention technologies. I collected data via two group interviews: one with eight HIV-positive gay men, the other with seven HIV-negative gay men. Inductive analysis revealed that both homosexuality and HIV-positivity were perceived by HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants as problematic social experiences, involving stigma, prejudices and discrimination. Most participants associated mixed-status relationships with fears and difficulties; hence they preferred a partner with the same serostatus. Yet, participants also emphasized sharing a subject position that transcended serostatus, namely living as a gay man in Greece. Among those in (or open to) a mixed-status partnerships, motives differed by serostatus. HIV-positive men tended to mention a sense of normality, while HIV-negative men referenced: HIV-positivity no longer being perceived as a non-normative status, love as a mediating factor, coupledom as social alliance. Key concepts that emerged as particularly relevant to mixed-status couples included: disclosure, mutual responsibility for prevention, and emotional commitment. These findings contribute to the limited literature on HIV and mixed-status couples in Greece.