Date

2016

Creator

Anthony Smith

Description

The emergence of the AIDS epidemic in New York ignited debates about the perceived centrality of ‘promiscuity’ in gay men. Prior to the epidemic, sexual adventure and numerous concurrent sexual partners were understood to be an essential characteristic of gay identity, however, with the presence of AIDS – immediately linked to sexual transmission – gay men’s sexual behaviour and identity were fractured. This thesis offers an analysis of social constructions of promiscuity in New York’s gay community, through the close reading of texts between 1981 and 1984.