Fuerza, Orgullo y Amor: Moving beyond Machismo in Sexual Health Research

Expanding our understandings of Latino Masculinity in Sexual Health Research Processes

Westernized Latino masculinity scripts- namely the concept of machismo- asserts that the sexual control or coercion of women may be interpreted as a fairly normal and expected part of Latino college males’ heterosexual relationships. However, this singular focus on sterotypic and culturally specific hypermasculinity characteristics fails to accurately capture the diversity of masculinity values and behaviors across diverse groups of Latinos. Further, it ignores important cultural values that are oppositional to the deficit machismo lens- particularly callaberismo.

This talk focused on stereotypes of Latino masculinity and its influence sexual health research processes. I discussed research exploring college Latinos' varied sexual health experiences and their application to cultural frameworks of masculinity . This talk was originally given during the Hermano of La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Hispanic Heritage Month Speakers series. You can also watch this video on Youtube.

Click to View Additional Related Resources : (alphabetical order)

• Gender and Ethnicity in Dating, Hanging Out, and Hooking Up: Sexual Scripts Among Hispanic and White Young Adults

• Hispanic College Men's Perceptions of Appropriate Strategies for Initiating Sexual Intercourse with Women

• Hispanics with darker skin more likely to experience discrimination than those with lighter skin

• Latino Sexual Styles: Developing a Nuanced Understanding of Risk

• Masculinity scripts and heterosexual Hispanic college men's perceptions of female initiated sexual coercion

• Predictors of Unprotected Sex among Young Sexually Active African American, Hispanic, and White MSM: The Importance of Ethnicity and Culture

• Reducing Sexual and Reproductive Health Disparities Among Latino Men: Exploring Solutions in the Boundaries of Masculinity