Migration and Sexual Health Among Gay Latino Migrants to Canada

Authors

  • Barry D. Adam University of Windsor
  • J. Cristian Rangel University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs28365

Keywords:

Latino, men who have sex with men, gay men, migration, sexual health, HIV risk

Abstract

This paper enquires into the nexus of migration with sexual health among gay Latino migrants in Canada. Interviews with 25 Spanish-speaking interviewees are examined in light of models developed from studies of Latinos in the United States. Canadian immigration policy appears to result in a somewhat different selection of immigrants compared to the United States. Migrants come from a wide range of national and regional backgrounds intersected by race, generation, and social class that influence their perceptions of and adjustment to Canadian society. Pre-migration HIV knowledge varied strongly by generation with older men recalling public panic concerning HIV and younger men receiving formal education about it. Migration enters into the mix of conditions as kin ties can be less confidently relied on among gay men compared to their heterosexual counterparts and by exacerbating vulnerability among those seeking to develop new social and sexual networks.

Author Biography

Barry D. Adam, University of Windsor

Distinguished University Professor Dept of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology

Downloads

Published

2017-12-31

Issue

Section

Articles