ABSTRACT
One of the objectives of this study was to ascertain the degree to which transvestites employed in the sex trade are at risk of becoming infected with HIV. Another more general aim was to enhance our understanding of transvestites’ sexual culture, along with the dreams and problems they face on a day-to-day basis. During the course of the work, we have seen how low self-esteem, societal discrimination, lovers’ attitudes, substance use, and the particular pressures exerted by lovers and johns are all factors in inducing transvestites to practice unsafe sex upon occasion.
