BELOW THE EQUATOR

BELOW THE EQUATOR, by American anthropologist Richard Parker, unravels the specificities of Brazilian homosexuality and the growth of gay communities in the country. Through numerous testimonies, the author investigates the function of sexual roles, male prostitution as a form of sexuality, and the consequences of the AIDS epidemic on Brazilian behavior. Parker raises important questions that challenge preconceived ideas about desire between equals. In BELOW THE EQUATOR, Richard Parker shows how the old morality of right and wrong, of guilt, sin, and punishment, was replaced by the morality of human relationships. The new morality, on the other hand, directly challenged the prevailing sexual ethic. It proclaimed the pleasures of the body, defending as just any and all forms of love. What matters is physical satisfaction. It challenged sexual prejudices, advocating for the democratic acceptance of difference. Thus, the controversy over homosexual love lost its force. Based on extensive field research—conducted by Parker for over fifteen years—BELOW THE EQUATOR paints a detailed ethnographic picture of the multiple sexual universes that exist on the streets. This includes male prostitution, male prostitutes, drag queens, products and establishments aimed at gay men, gay rights, and the Brazilian AIDS program. The author explores the transformations in sexual and cultural identities that have taken shape in Brazil in recent decades. In the first chapters of BELOW THE EQUATOR, Parker clarifies how gender, race, the history of colonialism, and the influence of other countries—primarily the United States and Europe—contributed to the construction of Brazilian homosexual identity. In subsequent chapters, he maps the AIDS epidemic in the country, showing how the disease has changed the profile and behavior of Brazilian homosexuals. Parker discusses the prejudice against HIV-positive individuals and the achievements made within the national health system. Through this unique research, Parker compares and contrasts the homosexual lifestyle in Brazil with that of other countries in South and North America, and Africa. He also explains why Brazilian homosexuality has only come out in recent years. Parker links this change to a growing and ongoing process of industrialization and urbanization, coupled with economic globalization. BELOW THE EQUATOR demystifies several questions: in a society famous for machismo, is homosexuality accepted or merely tolerated? Is the Brazilian gay community united? How do gay men view themselves? How has AIDS affected the community? Richard Parker is an assistant professor of Public Health in the Division of Medico-Social Sciences and Psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also the assistant director of the Center for Behavioral and Clinical Studies of HIV at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.