‘Going back home’, going to the ‘ghetto’: Sociability between men who have sex with men at the most critical point of COVID-19 in Brazil

This text discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sociability of men who have sex with men (MSM) in northeastern Brazil, between 2020 and 2021. We analyze ethnographic data focused on the narratives of leisure professionals and workers in government and non-governmental organizations. In March 2020, social distancing measures were announced, including the closure of leisure establishments, which had a financial impact on owners and workers. Many returned to work illegally before it was allowed. MSM, affected by family homophobia and loneliness, resumed social activities, disobeying health regulations. Intersectionality between sex-gender, sexuality, race and class, together with federal denial of the virus's lethality, and weak economic mitigation policies, produced an environment conducive to death. Based on the experiences of the gay community in the Recife Metropolitan Region and other contexts, we propose an agenda for reflection and action for future health crises that affect sexually dissident populations.