Post-migration sexual health and pleasure among gay and bisexual venezuelan migrant men in Lima, Peru

Abstract

This paper explores how migration (re)shapes the sexual lives of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) from Venezuela now living in Lima, Peru. While global public health discourses have predominantly framed GBM migrant sexualities through narratives of risk, especially in relation to HIV, this study draws attention to the dynamic interplay between pleasure and vulnerability in post-migration sexuality. Based on five focus groups with 42 GBM Venezuelan migrants in Lima (age range 23–54; median 36), this analysis examines how post-migration contexts can open space for greater sexual freedom and experimentation, including the adoption of new practices such as cruising and group sex. Participants described migration as an opportunity to explore their sexual identities more openly, even as they reported encountering heightened risks to sexual health, such as more frequent condomless sex with casual partners and substance use during sexual activity. Amid the precarious context of resettlement, participants employed harm reduction strategies, including frequent testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). By examining how GBM migrants navigate sexuality, intimacy, and pleasure during post-migration and resettlement, this paper contributes to emerging scholarship in sex-positive public health that affirms erotic agency while attending to the structural conditions that shape vulnerability (e.g., HIV/STIs prevention barriers). In doing so, the paper offers a more nuanced understanding of male sexuality in South-South migration in Latin America, emphasizing the need for culturally grounded, non-stigmatizing interventions that support both sexual health and well-being by paying attention to migrant GBM’s pleasure beyond the limitations of risks. © 2025 The Authors.