Marysol Asencio

“Locas,” Respect, and Masculinity Gender Conformity in Migrant Puerto Rican Gay Masculinities

In this article, I explore how masculinity and gender nonconformity are viewed by 37 migrant Puerto Rican gay men who had been raised in Puerto Rico and migrated Stateside as adults. Most of these migrant men note the importance of masculinity in their development and interactions with others, particularly other men. They resist identification of themselves as effeminate and distance themselves from locas (effeminate gay men). They associate locas with overt homosexuality, disrespect, and marginality. I argue that migrant Puerto Rican gay masculinities are maintained within the precept of hegemonic masculinity through various social mechanisms, including a gendered construction of male homosexuality; the connection of social and interpersonal respect with masculinity; the socially allowable and pervasive ridicule and punishment of male femininity; and marginalization based on multiple social statuses. Through these interconnected social mechanisms, heteronormative perspectives on gender, gender binaries, and power are incorporated into homonormative migrant Puerto Rican gay masculinities.

Aging, Health, and GLBTQ Family and Community Life

Older GLBTQ persons face many age-related challenges and opportunities. Some are shared with their heterosexual counterparts, while others more specifically relate to their GLBTQ status. These occur in the contexts of their personal lives, families, social networks, and community and social milieu. One major challenge is health. This article describes a range of issues at the interface of aging, GLBTQ status, family, community, and well-being related to health, describing aspects of social support, health, and health care systems. Prostate cancer is explored as an example of this nexus of factors illustrating how GLBTQ persons may be affected differently from the married, heterosexual image typically assumed in cancer research and clinical attention.

Cancer Screening in Gay and Bisexual Men and Transgender People

This chapter summarizes what is currently known about cancer screening needs and behaviors among gay and bisexual men and transgender people, as well as the services available to them. Two issues are of importance: (1) Whether or not screening rates in these populations differ from screening rates of heterosexual men, and (2) Whether there are specific factors related to these populations that may merit screening guidelines being different. We begin by addressing the various nomenclatures and categories used across the cancer screening literature when referring to gay and bisexual men and transgender people. Then we cover overall screening guidelines for men and their applicability to men who have sex with men (MSM), whether they identify as gay or bisexual (GB) or not, as well as transgender people (T). We then focus on the literature specifically addressing GB populations and cancer screening. This section includes differential screening patterns related to particular cancers and specific sub-groups that may merit enhanced levels of screening due to varying risk factors. This is followed by an examination of these topics as they relate to transgender people. At the end, we discuss implications and provide recommendations for future research, practice and policy.