Occasional unprotected heterosexual sex among young Latin-American men in Switzerland: Beyond risk taking

Based on a qualitative study, this article looks at the perspective of young men from Latin-Amercian immigrant backgrounds in Switzerland, who have occasional unprotected heterosexual sex. The article analyzes their discourses on not using protection and the normative context in which this is situated. These young men begin by putting into place a strategy that allows them to determine the lack of sexual risk for their partners, and then, secondarily, to submit to the women’s decisions about the choice of protection. The results of this study show that their risky sexual behavior is inscribed within a heteronormative system in which male sexuality is associated with physiological needs.