Barebacking and the possibility of seroconversion

Abstract

This article discusses the production of meanings concerning the possibility of HIV seroconversion in bareback sex practices, as well as the dynamics of bug chasing and its ambiguities in the Brazilian context. The article emphasizes several reasons for engaging in barebacking, generally defined as the intentional nonuse of condoms during anal sex among men who have sex with men. During the course of my research, some Orkut communities and chat forums on barebacking were followed, and open online interviews via MSN Messenger were conducted with barebackers from different States of Brazil, mainly São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Pursuit of seroconversion was also present in the contexts of online interaction in the Brazilian scenario, although there was much more of a multiplicity of interests and barebacking modalities across the various on-line interlocutors. As discussed in this article, rather than acquiring the HIV per se, there is an excessive interest in expanding or intensifying thrill seeking.