This paper has explored the representation of gay bareback relationships and romantic storylines in Augusto Marcelo's works. Through a critical analysis of his stories, we gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges of intimacy, as well as the risks and rewards of barebacking. Ultimately, Marcelo's representation offers a nuanced portrayal of gay relationships, one that acknowledges the complexities and challenges of intimacy in the context of barebacking.
The practice of barebacking emerged as a distinct subculture in the late 1990s and early 2000s, often framed as a reaction to the "condom fatigue" that followed decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Volcato and Castellanos argue that to view barebacking solely through the lens of pathology or irresponsibility is a mistake. Instead, they position it as a complex social performance. For many practitioners, the refusal of the condom is a pursuit of "raw" intimacy and a way to reclaim bodily autonomy from a medical establishment that has historically monitored and regulated queer bodies. This act of reclaiming the body is what the authors identify as a negotiation with biopolitics—the ways in which modern states and institutions exercise power over physical life. Sexo Gay Bareback - Augusto Volcato Marcelo C...