Chemsex and HIV prevention
Biosocial dynamics and risk redefinition among gay and bisexual men in Amsterdam
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22422491 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kevin Singh (0000-0003-2493-2673, University of Amsterdam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Culture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13691058.2026.2697936 |
| PMID | 42446216 |
| OpenAlex | W7168284123 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
This article examines how biomedical HIV prevention technologies, particularly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U = U) messaging, intersect with chemsex practices among gay and bisexual men in Amsterdam. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 35 men recruited during three years of ethnographic fieldwork (2016-2019) in Amsterdam's sex clubs and private parties, the study employs Rabinow's concept of biosociality to capture the new forms of collective sexual and social life that become possible when pharmaceutical technologies transform shared understandings of risk. Four interrelated themes were developed: biomedical prevention as a catalyst for chemsex (re)initiation; the collective renegotiation of risk within pharmaceutical horizons; PrEP as chemsex infrastructure merging prevention and pleasure; and the formation of new sexual networks and biosocial communities organised around shared pharmaceutical statuses. Findings revealed that PrEP and U = U have not merely reduced HIV anxiety but have actively reshaped the sexual and social landscape of Amsterdam's gay and bisexual communities, generating new forms of intimacy and belonging. These technologies have opened new possibilities for sexual and social life that have exceeded the scope of biomedical intervention and cannot be adequately understood through behavioural risk models or assemblage-based analyses alone.
Biosocial theory · Ethnography · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) · Intervention (counseling) · Men who have sex with men · Pre-exposure prophylaxis · Reproductive health · Social control · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Sex work and related issues
Biological Citizenship
Antiretroviral Globalism, Biopolitics, and Therapeutic Citizenship
The Republic of Therapy
Social Networks, Sexual Networks and HIV Risk in Men Who Have Sex with Men
Chemsex
Effects of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection on Sexual Risk Behavior in Men Who Have Sex With Men
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
Viral suppression and HIV transmission in serodiscordant male couples
Risk of HIV transmission through condomless sex in serodifferent gay couples with the HIV-positive partner taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy (PARTNER)
Illicit drug use in sexual settings (‘chemsex’) and HIV/STI transmission risk behaviour among gay men in South London
Tricks, Friends, and Lovers
For Whom Does Chemsex Increase Sexual Risk? Considering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), and the Dual Control Model
Trajectories of Chemsex Engagement Across Time Among PrEP-Using Men Who Have Sex with Men
Understanding problematic versus non-problematic chemsex practices from a user's perspective
Critical chemsex studies
Chemsex cultures
From biosociality to biosolidarity
The rise of chemsex
Comfort Relying on HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Treatment as Prevention for Condomless Sex
The Potential Role of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) in Reducing HIV Stigma among Sexual Minority Men in the US
Illicit drug use among gay and bisexual men in 44 cities
Imagining biosocial communities
The Distinction Between Chemsex and Sexualized Drug Use Among Men Who have Sex with Men
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The Gay Science
Anticipation
Remaking Chemsex Event Networks in the Age of HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
A Sociology of Attachment
Reluctant Objects
Essays on the Anthropology of Reason
Drugs, Space, and Sociality in a Gay Nightclub in Sydney
Another Politics of Life is Possible
Talk Is Cheap
Is HIV prevention creating new biosocialities among gay men? Treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis in Canada
The Anthropology of Potentiality in Biomedicine
| Highly cited | No |
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