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Abstract
This paper will discuss the happiness–health paradigm among gay men in Serbia. It will explore the dynamics of happiness among gay men who use online communication. Those men are increasingly under the risk of contracting HIV as a result of unsafe sex that follows from the play of virtual identities. The perception of happiness, the sense of fulfilment and the threat of HIV/AIDS are explored through the narratives of 25 gay men from Serbia. The sense of happiness is structured around sexual desires and the possibilities for their fulfilment, but also on the play with identity in cyberspace and intimate communication. Gay men disclose parts of their identity, but disguising HIV/AIDS status can potentially lead to HIV transmission as a result of unsafe sexual practices. Health identity is sometimes replaced by an ‘immunological equilibrium’ introduced by ARV (antiretroviral therapy) and expressed as ‘undetectable viral load’. Online representations are influenced by the notion of immunological equilibrium, too. While for some gay men this represents the potential for the fulfilment of sexual desires, for others it is a most terrifying moment that provokes fear and horror of potential HIV/AIDS and other STI infection as expressed in their narratives.