Latino men who have sex with transgendered women: The influence of heteronormativity homonegativity and transphobia on gender and sexual scripts

摘要

Latino men who have sex with transgender women make up an overlooked sector of the population that requires more attention than is currently given in sexuality and gender studies, particularly in regard to their non-commercial, long-term sexual and romantic relationships with transgender women. Sixty-one sexual histories were selected for this qualitative analysis from a larger study on Latino male bisexuality in the New York City metropolitan area. Findings suggest that participants’ sexual and gender scripts with transgender women were strongly regulated by heteronormativity. Furthermore, homonegativity and transphobia often intersected in the lived experiences of men who have sex with transgender women resulting in relationship conflicts over the control of transgender women’s bodies, sexual behaviours, and gender performance both in public and private. Findings also suggest that low relationship conflict is more common among men who have sex with transgender women who exhibit diverse sexual roles (being both insertive and receptive during anal sex), or transgress heteronormative scripts through dialogue of desires, and/or by embracing transgender women as human beings and not as hyperfeminised objects of desire. Stigma reduction and alternatives to heteronormative interventions are needed to improve relationship dynamics, and potentially positively impact on the sexual health and overall well-being of Latino men who have sex with transgender women and their transgender women partners.