ABSTRACT
In Brazil, transvestism is a specific social and cultural construct in which both gender and sexuality are mapped out and performed in highly particular ways. This chapter includes the views of prostitution and transvestism, employment patterns, sexual activities, condom use, drug use, and mechanisms of feminization. In Rio de Janeiro, it is estimated that there are at least 2,000 transvestites, 80 percent of whom support themselves through prostitution. The chapter examines aspects of the subculture of male transvestite sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, with a particular focus on their drug-using and sexual risk behaviours. It describes the qualitative and quantitative data reported on travestismo (transvestism) and travestis (transvestites) in Rio de Janeiro were collected as part of the larger human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome prevention initiative. Data collection on the travestis occurred in three phases: street recruitment as part of the overall project outreach and intervention effort, numerous focus groups, and participant observation.
