ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a particular form of male prostitution in Mexico, specifically the practice of “virile prostitution” in the plazas or parks of Guadalajara, Jalisco. In virile prostitution, the male sex worker assumes the role of dominator to the extent that he is the active penetrator, while the client, as the passive receiver, is dominated. These male sex workers are commonly known as mayates, a term based on the premise that male prostitution is a reality that is generally not visible. Although prostitution is not illegal in Mexico, it is restricted by the penal code and the police. Hence, the services offered by the mayates are relegated to spaces that are underground or not readily apparent to the general public. Not surprisingly, the mayates and their clients have increased health risks. To be a mayate is to be a macho man who sells his masculinity and virility to other men. The mayate identifies himself as active, handsome, charismatic, patient, prudent, honest, and possessing a large penis. He also sees himself as brave for his willingness to have sex with other men and as responsible for his own health. The clients of the mayates are men with diverse identities and orientations who seek the satisfaction of their sexual needs with men who appear very masculine. The mayates typically regard their clients as deviant or abnormal individuals who want to be humiliated and made to “feel like women.” The encounter between the client and the mayate in the plaza constitutes an elaborate ritual in which one seeks a man to satisfy his sexual needs and the other seems only to seek money, without considering his broader sexual existence.
