Structure, Agency, and Sexual Development of Latino Gay Men

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and HIV among Latino gay men, with limited proven HIV prevention interventions. This study used qualitative methods to explicate earlier findings showing differential health outcomes among Latino gay men who had no sex, voluntary, or forced sex before age 16. Analyses of in-depth interviews with 27 Latino gay men revealed that structural factors in childhood contribute to their developing sexuality by enhancing or inhibiting a sense of agency. Agency is essential for making decisions that are in line with their intentions to have healthy sexual lives. Findings suggest that interventions should focus on developing a sense of sexual agency among Latino gay men by (a) increasing their recognition of structural factors that contribute to feelings of worthlessness in order to relocate internalized blame and homophobia to external structural forces, (b) facilitating awareness of the social structural oppressions that lead to psychological and sexual risk in order to enhance their options for sexual health, and (c) shifting from individually focused constructions of sexual health to those that consider the structural factors that reduce agency and contribute to diminished sexual health among Latino gay men.

Acknowledgments

We thank the individuals who participated in this study for sharing their experiences with us. We also thank Andrea Lopez and James Quesada for their input into this article. The research presented in this article was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant No. R25 HD04510 and National Institutes of Mental Health Grant No. R25 MH067127, as well as a professional development award from RTI International.