Based on findings from an ethnographic study, we describe cruising sites and sexual behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the city of Buenos Aires. These dynamics present specific obstacles to adopting HIV preventive behaviors, thus generating new concerns about the effectiveness of prevention approaches. We also introduce the difficulties and debates around the use of "MSM" as an analytical category, and their consequences as related to prevention and social science theory and methods. New concerns are raised regarding the reach and limitations of the current HIV/AIDS prevention model for MSM.
HIV/AIDS prevention; MSM; cruising; ethnography; Buenos Aires