"Ranging from the late nineteenth century to the rise of a politicized gay and lesbian rights movement in the 1970s, Green's study focuses on male homosexual subcultures in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. He uncovers the stories of men coping with arrests and street violence, dealing with family restrictions, and resisting both a hostile medical profession and the moralizing influences of the Church.

Green also describes how these men have created vibrant subcultures with alternative support networks for maintaining romantic and sexual relationships and for surviving in an intolerant social environment. Documenting how urban parks, plazas, cinemas, and beaches were appropriated for same-sex erotic encounters, Green leads us into the world of street cruising, male hustlers, and cross-dressing prostitutes."--BOOK JACKET.