Female Homoeroticism, Young People and Vulnerability to STI/Aids

Abstract

This article discusses the discrepancies between sexual identities, gender performances, desires and sexual practices. It aims to analyze the relationship between sexual identities and the risk of perception to STI/Aids from a group of young women with homoerothic experiences, who classify themselves as lesbians or bisexuals, that attend a variety of nocturnal social environments in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Based on the relation between the processes of vulnerability and the construction of identities, the analysis focuses on the role of sexual identities in the contexts of social interactions and sexual-affective trajectories of the group. The results revealed some circumstances related to sociability, gender and social profile that define the susceptibility to STI/Aids. The auto-classification or self-labeling of the identities of these young women, vary according to the sexual-affective relationships with male and female sexual partners. and the network of interaction in different phases of their lives. These experiences suggest a sense of fluidity on the expression of their sexuality. The logic of protection to STI/Aids of the group is influenced by the intimacy established on the affective relationships and by the perception of ‘safety’ in the same sex sexual practices. Due to the importance of homo and heterosexual practices for the transmission of sexual transmitted infections and the tendency of preventive campaigns to give preference to groups with fixed identities suggests that sexual health policies should give priority to the women’s sexual history as well as the relationship between their practices and their identities in specific contexts.