Thursday, February 13th, 4:00pm
WLH Rm 309
“The Cruising Project: Conjuring Historical Glimpses of Street Husting in Rio de Janeiro”
Using newly found archival records of interviews with street-based male sex workers in Rio de Janeiro conducted in 1990, Professor Mitchell offers rare glimpses of hustling at that time. Understanding the evolution of the old street-based sexual economy into the current system that privileges indoor and online sex work provides a useful lens for examining the relationship between Brazil’s broader political economy and the lived experiences of male sex workers. In particular, the interviews illuminate how male hustlers encountered and thought about the spectre of HIV/AIDS as primarily a threat to masculinity rather than health.
For more information on this year’s WGSS Speaker Series, Transnationalizing Queer Studies, click here.