HIGH-RISK HOMOSEXUAL A Memoir By Edgar Gomez The concept of Latinidad, or “Latinness,” is an unstable one. Meant to encompass a multitude of cultures, languages and experiences, it inevitably falls short, as words often do.
Although contested, the term at least attempts to put a name to a hazy collection of norms and realities, the pretty and the ugly that together constitute a certain idea of self.
It’s largely the ugly that “High-Risk Homosexual” is concerned with, and though often heavy, Edgar Gomez’s debut is also a breath of fresh air.
The memoir recounts Gomez’s life growing up queer in the literal arena of compulsory masculinity: The opening chapter takes place in his uncle’s cockfighting ring in Nicaragua.