By Jonatas Dornelles
Anthropologist
Studies done on the history of sexuality have given raise to sex
related evidence emerging from sexual research. Evidences in the treatises
of Kama Sutra show sexual techniques like the natural Viagra maybe
linked to sexual diseases.
The AIDS impact on studies about sexuality begins by its chiefly
detachment from a medical epidemiological concern, and its association to a
socially sexual phenomenon. Therefore, there've been attempts to investigate
the AIDS impact in sexuality related studies such as homosexuality,
genders, and the history of sexual practices.
With the advent of the AIDS pandemic research implementations have been
put in practice about sexuality with the aims of discovering new ways
to curb this sexual disease. Linked to sexuality studies, the
discovery of AIDS provided a somewhat new discovery of homosexuality.
Initially, homosexuality was negatively associated to the sexual diseases.
As time gone by, mounting research in respect to the sexual diseases
and ostensibly Media presence, sexual orientation became subject of discussion
in the general consensus. Apart from that, there had been studies conducted
in order to verify how the AIDS pandemic would play upon gender construction.
The beginning of the 80's brought about the AIDS discovery. AT which
point, AIDS was staunchly associated by the general consensus as being
a sexually transmitted disease chiefly of homosexuals. In Brazil
the social context was of political opening. Although somewhat inexpressive
if none, homosexual life style and sex life functioning were only
crawling back then. Far from well established gay rights of USA and European
counterparts.
The AIDS arrival in Brazil propelled the creation and consolidation of
gay rights defense movements. From then on, AIDS got placed as
a beacon for sexuality studies to revolve on. In search for epidemic
prevention, the human sexual sciences began to deal with the heterogeneity
of homosexuality. Instead of dealing with sexual diseases in a
homogenized manner, researchers dealt with the diversity of the homosexual
practices and the possible ways of sexual disease prevention.
The result was the discovery of various groups, each one of them claiming their
rights and place under the sun.
Yet, facing up AIDS made possible to observe aspects of gender construction
and sexual orientation of sexual behavior. There are unequal outlooks
in respects to sexual diseases hinging on the variable of sex
whether female or male. Therein, a male resistance in accepting
the AIDS infection came about latching onto the stigma of being initially
linked to a homosexual epidemic. And yet, discussion with regards to
extra marital sex gained momentum. There came as a notion backlash from
a need for condoms wearing even in a steady relationship.
There can be perceived a noticeably boost in talks with respects to sexual
initiation of youth. The sexual theme gained big Media coverage especially
in awareness raising campaigns for condoms wearing. From the advent of
AIDS onwards there co-exist various levels of reality perception. Whose
alternations between stigma, empowerment, social space, sex life, death,
gender, homosexuality, heterosexuality, and so on and so forth.
The epidemic awareness brought into play a string of cultural and social aspects.
There is such a slim relation between the production of scientific knowledge
and the intervention in the AIDS spreading, one overlapping the other. Theoretically,
apart from being viewed as a social phenomenon, a change in perception for the
AIDS impact on the symbolical level of social reality.
Changes put in place because of the disease came to reinforce the notion that
sexuality is the net result of a building process and thus subjected to modifications.
Methodologically speaking, those organized groups stemming from the AIDS
awareness set up a research field for human sexuality studies.
