The margin has many sides: diversity among gay and homosexually active men in Lima.

PIP: This study provides a perspective on the sexual culture, self-representations and behaviors of men who have sex with men. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with gay-identified men from both working class and middle-class backgrounds, non-gay-identified men who had sex with men, "fletes" (young men who sell homosexual sex), and transvestites. Ages among the study group ranged from 18 to 35. Issues explored included homosexuality and bisexuality, sexual experiences, socialization and support networks, "fleteo" and prostitution, AIDS-related concerns, emotional attachment, sexual identity and self-image. Findings suggest that a unitary homosexual culture does not exist in Lima. Ideologies structuring relationships within homoerotic culture range from more the more traditional, in which relationships are organized according to gender-transformed relationships, whereby ordinary males performed as "activos" with feminized "pasivo" males, to contemporary Western patterns involving equals who are able to exchange sexual roles. Awareness of this diversity should facilitate the identification of different sexual health needs and the protection of sexual rights, leading to the development of programs more sensitive to the cultural heterogeneity of male homosexualities in Lima.^ieng

[Survey of men provides reliable data on contraception in the Dominican Republic]. / Encuesta de varones proporciona datos confiables sobre la anticoncepcion en la Republica Dominicana.

PIP: Comparison of the results of 2 contraceptive prevalence surveys in the Dominican Republic, 1 of a sample of 4741 women in 1983 and the other of a sample of 4203 men in 1984, indicated that men and women have similar levels of knowledge and reported similar levels of use of contraceptives. Differences were noted in such areas as the acceptability of methods and the number of children each spouse desired. Both surveys were conducted by the National Council of Population and the Family. The women were aged 15-49 years and the men were 15-59. 2037 of the men were in union at the time of the survey and 2166 were single. The majority of respondents in both groups were under age 30. 44% of the men and 29% of the women under 30 were single. Dominican men are 5-10 years older than women on average when they enter stable unions. A comparison of age specific fertility rates of men and women showed that men have their highest level of fertility between 25-30 years and continue to reproduce beyond age 50, while women's fertility is highest between the ages of 20-29 and declines considerably thereafter. The total fertility rate was 4.2 for men aged 15-49 and 4.6 for men aged 15-59. It was 4.1 for women aged 15-49. Over 1/2 of men and 1/2 of women in union who had 2 or more children stated they wanted no more children, but at each parity men were more disposed to want another child. Women at all parities overestimated the number of children their partners wanted. The pill was the only contraceptive method that the majority of men and women who had ever been in union named spontaneously. When other methods were named, 94% of men and 97% of women ever in union knew about pills and female sterilization, 71% of men and 89% of women knew about IUDs, 71% of men and 80% of women knew about injectables, and 61% of men and 75% of women knew about vaginal methods. 92% of men and 88% of women knew about condoms. 46% of the women in union had been using a family planning method, including 27% who were sterilized and 9% who used pills. The responses of men when asked about their wives' contraceptive use were about the same. However, men reported higher use of male methods. 9% of men but only 1% of women reported using rhythm, 7% of men but 3% of women withdrawal, and 5% of men and 2% of women condoms. Among men not using a method, 61% reported they might use rhythm, condoms, withdrawal, or vasectomy in the future. 94% of men approved of at least 1 female method, but approval of specific methods varied widely. Over 80% of men in union approved of female sterilization and rhythm, but only 37% approved of pills and 41% of IUDs. The researchers concluded that men cooperate sufficiently to justify similar surveys in other Latin American countries, and that men can be reliable sources of information for programming and evaluation of family planning programs.^ieng