This anthropological volume examines Latin American male homosexualities in Spanish-speaking, Brazilian, and indigenous societies from theoretical, literary, ethnographic, ethnohistorical, and lexicological perspectives. Focusing on issues of family, society, culture, politics, economy and ethnicity, the contributors explore homosexual practices in pre-Columbian indigenous societies and in colonial and modern Latin America. Wide-ranging issues in this volume include homosexual categorization, machismo and homosexuality, the "activo-pasivo" cultural dichotomy, the gay image in Chicano fiction, male homosexuality and Afro-Brazilian possession cults, the gay movement and human rights, and others. The twenty-two articles and essays in this volume demonstrate that Latin American homosexuality is complex and diverse across history, nationalities, and ethnicities. In addition to Stephen O. Murray, contributors are Manuel Arboleda G., beverly N. Chiñas, Wayne R. Dynes, Peter Fry, Paul Kutsche, Luiz Mott, Richard G. Parker, Karl J. Reinhardt, Clark L. Taylor, and Frederick L. Whitman.

What did it mean to be a man in colonial Latin America? More specifically, what did indigenous and Iberian groups think of men who had sexual relations with other men? Providing comprehensive analyses of how male homosexualities were represented in areas under Portuguese and Spanish control, Infamous Desire is the first book-length attempt to answer such questions. In a study that will be indispensable for anyone studying sexuality and gender in colonial Latin America, an esteemed group of contributors view sodomy through the lens of desire and power, relating male homosexual behavior to broader gender systems that defined masculinity and femininity.

What did it mean to be a man in colonial Latin America? More specifically, what did indigenous and Iberian groups think of men who had sexual relations with other men? Providing comprehensive analyses of how male homosexualities were represented in areas under Portuguese and Spanish control, Infamous Desire is the first book-length attempt to answer such questions. In a study that will be indispensable for anyone studying sexuality and gender in colonial Latin America, an esteemed group of contributors view sodomy through the lens of desire and power, relating male homosexual behavior to broader gender systems that defined masculinity and femininity.

"This volume offers the first synthesis in any language of male homosexual behavior in Latin America. Attention is given to the historical origins of homosexual organization as well as the current meaning and complexity of homosexuality in urban, rural, and tribal settings. Extensive vocabularies and lexicons of Spanish and Portuguese terms for homosexual and lesbian behavior are included."--Page [4] of cover.

Organized around three central themes - control and repression; the politics and culture of resistance; and sexual transgression as affirmation of marginalized identity - this intriguing collection will challenge and inform conceptions of Latin American sexuality.

Breathtaking in its historical and geographical scope, this book provides a sweeping examination of the construction of male and female homosexualities, stressing both the variability of the forms same-sex desire can take and the key recurring patterns it has formed throughout history. "[An] indispensable resource on same-sex sexual relationships and their social contexts. . . . Essential reading." —Choice "[P]romises to deliver a lot, and even more extraordinarily succeeds in its lofty aims. . . . [O]riginal and refreshing. . . . [A] sensational book, part of what I see emerging as a new commonsense revolution within academe." —Kevin White, International Gay and Lesbian Review

Based on long-term field research carried out over more than 15 years, Beneath the Equator examines the changing shape of male homosexuality and the emergence of diverse and vibrant gay communities in urban Brazil. Drawing on detailed ethnographic description of multiple sexual worlds organized around street cruising and impersonal sex, male prostitution, transgender performances, gay commercial markets and establishments, gay rights activism and AIDS service provision, Richard Parker examines the changing sexual identities, cultures and communities that have taken shape in Brazil in recent years. Also includes 15 maps.