The size of the Brazilian community is illustrated by Leros magazine, a large and glossy publication for London Brazilians, which celebrated its 10th
anniversary last year.
The community remains so hidden, partly because half of its members are
here illegally, staying on each others' floors and living hand-to-mouth.
Although back in Brazil the HIV rate is only one in 2,000 people, the
high percentage of gay men in London's expatriate community means many
more over here are HIV positive.
"London was a mecca for gay Latinos in the early 90s," says
Jose. "More recently, the economy has improved and I have noticed
more heterosexuals from poorer families coming over."
Despite South America's reputation as a source of drugs, HIV
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is largely spread sexually.
Carlos Corredor is Naz Latina's worker. A
Jose
Resinente of Naz Brasil
photo: victoria straub
Colombian, he says that many gay men here came to escape from the terrible
stigma of HIV among these still devoutly Catholic countries.
"Both the State and the guerrilla groups that oppose it stigmatise
HIV," he says. "The image of a positive person is still that
they are a
prostitute, a transsexual (many of the large South American transsexual community have ended up in Europe,
