Machos and brothers: an ethnography about the closet in male homoerotic relations created on-line

Abstract

Based on an ethnography with men who introduce themselves as Macho or Brother in chatrooms directed toward a gay and bisexual audience in the city of São Paulo, this article explores how these users articulate different platforms to create secret relationships. These men introduce themselves and search for partners that can be described as "straight acting" and "not part of the gay scene" creating relations shaped by the sexuality control regime known as the closet. This analysis tries to expose gender and sexuality norms that shape these users' closet, or the way they act trying to keep their heterosexual status while also having sexual or love relationship with other men.

Sexuality; Internet; Secret; Closet; Male Homoerotic Relations; Heterosexual Masculinity