From training wheels to chemical condoms: exploring the narratives of PrEP discontinuation

© The Author(s) 2021. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1177/13634593211005177This paper explores experiences of PrEP, a HIV-prevention intervention, among bugchasers, gay men who eroticize HIV. While PrEP has been hailed as a “game changer” in HIV-prevention, little attention has been paid to why and how some people may discontinue it in the face of HIV risk, such as bugchasers do. This paper relies on interview data with bugchasers themselves to discuss the process of discontinuation and its effects. The paper argues that, for these men, discontinuation is a fluid, complex, and sometimes contradictory process. It also describes how participants perceived themselves as being at different stages of discontinuation. The paper also analyzes how these men see PrEP as a barrier to intimacy, risk, and a tool to negotiate their desires and identity: through discontinuing PrEP, these men are able to reflect on and build their identities as bugchasers.Peer reviewe

Chingonas and Chingados:Femininity and Machismo in Three Poemsby Francisco X. Alarcón

This article analyzes the ways in which Queer Chicano poet Francisco X. Alarcón presents the interplay of family, sexuality, and heritage in his poetry. Three poems are analyzed: “Cuarto oscuro/Dark Room”, “Mi padre/My Father”, and “Una pequeña gran victoria/A Small but Fateful Victory”. In these pieces, Alarcón negotiates his own identity as an ‘Other’ of the Chicano Community by emphasizing the performative nature of masculinity and femininity. In so doing, he provides an insight into the dilemmas and fractures of contemporary Chicanos. Thus, this piece aims to also incorporate Alarcón to the Chicano literary canon by studying how his poems echo the theoretical paradigms established by Anzaldúa, Arteaga, and others.Este artículo analiza las maneras en las que el poeta queer chicano Francisco X. Alarcón representa las interacciones entre la familia, la sexualidad y la herencia cultural en su poesía. En este artículo, presento el análisis de tres poemas: “Cuarto oscuro/Dark Room,” “Mi padre/My Father,” y “Una pequeña gran victoria/A Small but Fateful Victory.” En estas obras, Alarcón negocia su identidad como un ‘Otro’ de la comunidad chicana, enfatizando la naturaleza performativa de la masculinidad y feminidad. Al hacer esto, el poeta explora los dilemas y las fracturas vividas por los chicanos hoy en día. Así, este artículo incorpora a Alarcón al canon literario chicano por medio de una reflexión acerca de cómo sus poemas se hacen eco de los paradigmas teóricos de Anzaldúa, Arteaga y otros

“Sluts” and “Slaves”: The Internet and the Evolution of Fantasy in Dennis Cooper's Online Work

This article explores a yet unresearched part of Dennis Cooper’s production: his blog posts and, in particular, his “Sluts” and “Slaves” monthly posts, where he compiles explicit and sometimes sordid texts and images of gay sex workers apparently found online. First, this paper will situate these blog posts in the fields of citational and online literature, arguing that they are an example of ‘flarf’. In so doing, it also extends the notion of “flarf” from poetry to narrative. Then, this paper explores the continuities and differences between the blog posts and Cooper’s other work, most notably The Sluts (2005), to argue that —while similar in their focus on the internet and “the impossibility of truth”— the blog posts present a significant transformation that compels readers to confront their own desires

Exploring dating app intimacies during COVID-19 in the UK: a protocol for a mixed- methods study on the impact of dating apps on intimacy, resilience, and wellbeing [ES/W002426/1]

This protocol outlines a mixed-methods study explore the dynamics of intimacy on dating apps before, during and after the crisis years of COVID-19 in the UK; how these influenced/were influenced by different gendered and sexual cultures of relating; and their impact on personal resilience, viral risk, and wellbeing. The project examines diverse gendered and sexual cultures, emphasizing the experiences of LGBT+ communities. Through a two-stage approach involving a UK-wide quantitative survey and in-depth qualitative interviews, the study explores how dating app practices influence resilience, viral risk, and intimate norms. The project aims to generate knowledge about how app-based services can be harnessed to support the social and emotional needs of diverse gendered and sexual groups during and after COVID-19 providing valuable insights into strategies for personal resilience in the face of viral risk and social during periods of social distancing.<br/