“Biographical Ruptures” in the narratives of gay men coexisting with HIV: Disruptions, stigma, and the reinvention of masculinities in Brazil

Abstract

This article examines how gay men living with HIV construct meanings and healthcare practices shaped by biographical ruptures, stigma, and structural inequalities. Biographical rupture is understood here as a disruptive event that reconfigures life trajectories, identities, and everyday practices. Grounded in a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach, the study was conducted as part of the postdoctoral project “Masculinities, Life Course, and Care”. It draws on semi-structured interviews and field observations with 11 cisgender gay men from diverse racial, generational, and class backgrounds. Data were analyzed through a hermeneutic perspective to interpret the meanings of living with HIV in contexts marked by precariousness, violence, and resistance. Findings indicate that an HIV diagnosis operates as a rupture, prompting self-reinvention, reconfigurations of masculinity, and transformations in relationships. These processes are shaped by intersecting factors such as race, generation, and class, which affect access to healthcare, experiences of stigma, and possibilities for care. “Coexisting” underscores the relational and insurgent character of living with HIV, involving support networks and everyday resistance. Participants challenge biomedical and normative discourses, producing embodied knowledge about life with HIV and redefining masculinities beyond heteronormative frameworks. The study advocates for culturally situated public policies.