The Eroticizing of HIV : Viral Fantasies

This book examines sexual fantasies and their influence on everyday life through the stories of twenty-two men who introduce themselves as bugchasers, i.e. gay men who eroticize HIV. The author defines bugchasing, charts its history and contexts, and considers how it has changed in the age of internet and PrEP. Through the participants, their experiences and contexts, this text also theorizes about sexual fantasies, seeking to understand how people define sexual fantasies and use the internet as a space to navigate their desires, meet others, and find support. Chapters also consider the practical implications of fantasy, most notably, how fantasies influence mens decisions around HIV prevention and care. This book speaks to renewed interest in both the AIDS crisis and the sociology of everyday life to illustrate how fantasies such as bugchasing appear, evolve, and adapt. This book will be of interest to scholars focused on queer studies, sexuality studies, gender studies, and healthcare. Jaime Garcia-Iglesias holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Manchester, has a degree in English from the University of Oviedo (Spain) and in Cultural Studies from the University of Nottingham. He has held the prestigious Mildred Baxter Research Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh and has led large-scale projects on sexuality, health and internet use across the UK Series Editors’ Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Chapter 1: Foreplay 1.1 Breeding Stories 1.2 Delineating the Context 1.3 Existing Work on Bugchasing 1.3.1 New Meanings for HIV 1.4 Theoretical Influences 1.5 Who and Why 1.6 How to Chase a Chaser 1.7 The Chasers 1.8 The Chapters to Come References Chapter 2: What Is Bugchasing? 2.1 The Challenges of Defining Bugchasing 2.2 Bugchasing: Eroticising HIV 2.3 The Face of Bugchasing References Chapter 3: Viral Fantasies 3.1 Marvin: Entertainment and Fantasy 3.2 Clive: Bugchasing as a Way of Life 3.3 David: Desires that Come and Go 3.4 Fantasy and Reality 3.5 Fantasy and the Internet References Chapter 4: Bugchasing: A Computer Virus? 4.1 Jerk off and Log off 4.1.1 The Importance of the Internet 4.1.2 Masking Identity 4.1.3 Sociality: From Friends to the ‘Bare Minimum’ 4.2 But Do They Really Want It? 4.2.1 Finding Information About It and Giving It a Name 4.2.2 Experimenting with Desires 4.3 Viral Spill Over References Chapter 5: Medicated Fantasies: PrEP as the Blue Pill 5.1 PrEP and Viral Fantasies 5.1.1 What Is PrEP? 5.2 PrEP among Bugchasers 5.2.1 PrEP as Emasculating and a Chemical Condom 5.2.2 PrEP as ‘Training Wheels’ 5.3 PrEP Discontinuation 5.3.1 Milo: The Arousal of Risk 5.3.2 Luke: What If I Don’t Take it? References Chapter 6: Medicated Fantasies: After HIV Diagnosis 6.1 Challenges of Exploring the Aftermath of Infection 6.2 HIV Medication 6.3 After Bugchasing 6.3.1 A Bugchasing Afterlife: To Be or Not to Be 6.3.2 Aside: The Gift-Giver References Chapter 7: Conclusion: Thinking Virus, Thinking Fantasy 7.1 Retracing Our Steps: Some Key Findings 7.2 Towards a Sociology of Sexual Fantasy References Index