Gender and sexuality dynamics in tariffed sex among men: Analysis of the notion of communities of practice

Abstract

The present study analyzes the establishment of communities of practice in the context of tariffed sex exercised by men, focusing on sexuality performances and gender identifications. Was used an approach inspired by the Grounded Theory, through which were held field diaries in tariffed sex settings, narrative interviews with six men who engage in the activity and two managers, respectively, of two specialized places in the Porto Alegre's sexual market, during the year 2015. The corpus was analyzed from a discursive theoretical perspective and was identified dynamics associated with the formation of communities of practice by means of surveillance and correction strategies, in a way that aspects such as corporeal and performative investment updated consumer relations circumscribed in some control dynamics. Power relations are shown in a way of "desexualization" of the client, or the feminization of the male prostitute, so the notion of community does not dissociate from discursive heteronormative aspects.