Masculinidades, sexualidades e afetos : construções e configurações de relações afetiva/sexual entre homens em Cuiabá/MT

Abstract

Expressing your feelings and having an emotional/sexual relationship with someone of the same sex may not be easy. After all, affections, sexualities and desires are controlled by the state and anything that doesn't fit in with what is considered "normal" tends to face obstacles in the pursuit of happiness. Coming out as gay, homosexual or bisexual to family, friends and work colleagues requires self-acceptance and courage - after all, others are likely to see you differently, even if you are the same person as before. In Western society, this control over bodies is also observed in relation to the behavior expected of a man, after all, in addition to not being able to express feelings, he must be strong, dominant, virile and masculine. Based on an analysis of the construction of heteronormativity and what hegemonic masculinity is, the aim of this paper is to study how men who have affective/sexual relationships with other men in Cuiabá/MT experience their masculinities, sexualities and affections. To this end, ethnography was adopted as the central methodology for investigation and analysis. After analyzing the data collected, it was possible to see that the majority of these interlocutors define themselves as gay or homosexual, even if some of them have had an affective/sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex. Marriage can take place for the most diverse of reasons, from property issues to social security or even the desire to stay together, but not everyone intends to get married. Homophobia, on the other hand, can be observed in family life, by those who decide to "come out of the closet". And the masculinities expressed by the interviewees are diverse and depend on the role they are playing in a given time and space, not necessarily on whether they are active or passive in an affective/sexual relationship.