Public Sex in a Latin Society

Jacobo Schifter, PhD, is the Regional Director of ILPES (the Latin American Health and Prevention Institute), an AIDS-prevention program financed by the Netherlands' government. One of the most prolific writers in Latin America, Dr. Schifter wrote books on the Costa Rican civil war, U.S.-Costa Rican relations, and Costa Rican anti-Semitism before shifting his interests when AIDS started to affect the Central American region. He then established the first regional institute to fight the epidemic and created dozens of innovative programs, such as AIDS hotlines and AIDS-prevention workshops for Latin gays, prisoners, street children, Indians, male sex workers, and other minority groups. Dr. Schifter also started to publish controversial books on AIDS, including The Formation of a Counterculture: AIDS and Homosexuality ill Costa Rica (1989), Men Who Love Men (1992), Eyes l1zat Do Not See: Psychial1y and Homophobia (1997), Lila's House (1998), From Toads to Queens (Haworth, 1999), and Macho Love (Haworth, 1999). These books have become best-sellers in the region and have also played a part in changing many Latin governments' discriminatory policies against people with AIDS.

Contents



Preface
Introduction
The Pornography Revolution
AIDS as a Trigger
The Body Revolution
Chapter 1: Methodology of the Study
The First Study (1989)
The Second Study (1998)
The Quantitative Study
The Qualitative Study
Chapter 2: The Geography of Desire (1989)
The Parks and Surrounding Areas
Movie Theaters
Saunas
Chapter 3: The Geography of Desire (1998)
Parque Monumental
New Pickup Parks
Shopping Mall
Universities
Public Pools
La Llanura
Pornographic Movie Theaters
Pornographic Videos
Saunas
Numbers
Chapter 4: Man.....Without Words
The Language Metaphor
School for Public Sex
The Language and “La Différence”
Chapter 5: Gay Clientele
The Gay Model of Public Sex
Chapter 6: Violence and Public Sex
Thou Shalt Not Communicate (Juan's Story)
Invaded Bodies (Alberto's Story)
The Eroticism of Danger (Pepe's Story)
Nonverbal Sex (Emilio's Story)
The Need to Disconnect (Miguel's Story)
The Worst Nightmares
Chapter 7: Cacheros and Locusts (Chapulines)
Cacheros
Locusts
The Vulnerable Body
Little Red Riding Hood Confronts the Big Bad Wolf
The Look: from Chapulines to Princes
Chapter 8: Clash of Cultures
The Language of Crime
Triggers to Chapuline Violence
Ten Rules that Could Save Your Life
A Visit to the Castle
Is Public Sex Revolutionary?
Chapter 9: Police Officers
The Trained Body
Homophobia
If you Live with Men ....
Deliver Us from Temptation
Conclusions
Appendix: Survey of Sexual Practices in Public Sex Places
ILPES Questionnaire for Men Who Visit Bars, Discos, and Restaurants
Notes
Index
Reference Notes Included