Cacherismo is a sexual discourse. By "sexual discourse" we mean all the ideas, principles notions, myths, and symbolism which different cultures formulate about sexuality in different spaces and at different times. Sexual discourses are present in every culture and are one of the main factors that shape it. This means that the specific sexual behavior of an individual in a given culture is partly the result of his own assimilation of these discourses.
In the sexual culture of this brothel, homosexual practices do not threaten the young men=s "heterosexuality". Among lower class adolescents who work in prostitution, there are important divisions between active and passive sex, and between masculine and feminine. They do not consider that their practices determine a sexual orientation different from anyone else's.
Cacheros have a split vision of how men and women should be. They believe that men are strong and aggressive, and that women are gentle and passive. However, they are aware that not all men and women fit into these categories. Nevertheless, the gender division between masculinity and passivity is there. To find out how they view men and women, we asked them to draw a typical man and a typical woman, and then a typical homosexual. Next, we asked them to write a list of "characteristics" of men and women. Then, we asked them to do the same for homosexuals. Finally, we conducted a simulation in which they imagined that they had turned into women and, as such, walked down a central city street. We have used this simulation effectively with other populations to measure their degree of animosity towards the opposite sex. Generally, chauvinistic men encounter serious difficulties even thinking about being turned into women, and usually do not do the exercise.
When we asked Mono to write a list, from 1 to 10, describing a typical man, the first thing that came into his mind was "chauvinistic and arrogant." His list was as follows:
When we asked him to do a similar list for a typical woman, he wrote:
Gato sees men as "strong, serious, hard-working, masculine, honest, daring, brave, ugly, and hairy-chested." Women, on the other hand, are defined more by their body than their personality: "long hair, intelligent, very sexy, thin, not very tall, pretty, exotic, green-eyed" (maybe he was thinking more of the ideal woman than the typical woman). Harold also sees men as "chauvinistic, womanizing, quarrelsome," and women as "beautiful, loving, intelligent, cautious, with a lot of hang-ups, reserved, and thoughtful."
Although their views of the sexes are polarized, they are aware of certain contradictions. Mono recognizes, for example, that men can also be "gossipy." He believes that "some women feel that they are superior to men." Harold thinks that women "are very rarely self-sufficient or see themselves that way." Luis accepts that some typical men "cook" and that women "also like to work and study."
The drawings of men and women reflect the same dichotomy. The typical man for cacheros is masculine and muscular, while the typical woman is feminine and a sex object:
When they were asked to visualize themselves in a woman's body, their descriptions of the type of women they turned into were young, feminine, and provocative.
We used the following exercise:
"Close your eyes and breathe calmly. Don't think about anything for a few moments, just pay attention to your breathing. Once you feel relaxed, imagine that you're standing naked in front of the mirror. Now, using the power of your imagination, picture yourself slowly turning into a woman. Look at yourself in the mirror with the body of a woman. Think that you're a woman who is naked before her mirror. What's your name? Look at your hair, face, breasts, genitals, legs, backside... Now start choosing the clothing you want to wear. Think about the blouse, skirt, dress, pants, etc. that you're going to put on. Then imagine that you put on makeup and perfume and get fixed up to go out. Think carefully about each one of these steps as you get ready... Once you've finished getting dressed and getting ready, you're going to imagine that you go outside on the street and walk around for a while. You notice that men turn to look at you and say things. Think how you feel, what you do, and how you walk... Now stop for a moment to wait for a man. What do you feel? What is this man like? Now, little by little let's slowly return to reality. When you feel comfortable, you can open your eyes..."
Below is a literal transcription of Luis's answers to the questions concerning the exercise:
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, Luis. How did you feel seeing yourself as a woman in the mirror? |
| Luis: | Well, it's a different feeling, a very different feeling, and your heart beats differently. I saw myself in an amazing way, because I saw myself as a woman... |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Let's talk about clothing. What were your clothes like? |
| Luis: | Well, it was a -- what do you call it? -- a dress that clings to your body. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Lycra. |
| Luis: | Lycra on the body, but made of fabric, no made of... that, but with an open back, it came down to the front of my breasts, er, with half of my breasts inside the other half out. The dress looked good, it was white, red shoes, very provocative. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Were they high-heeled or low? |
| Luis: | High, and the bra was, well, I wasn't wearing one... |
| 2nd Interviewer: | You weren't wearing a bra... |
| Luis: | Because it was like a thread, and I wore a red and black G-string. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | So the panty was like a G-string. |
| Luis: | It was a thong. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | A thong? |
| Luis: | Yes, but like a G-string, red or black. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Red or black? |
| Luis: | Yeah, the shoes were red. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, let's move on. Sit down in front of the mirror and apply your make-up. How did you do your makeup? |
| Luis: | I hardly put any on, because I looked... well, I looked nice with or without makeup. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Did you put a little on? |
| Luis: | Just a little, lipstick and... what do they call that, um, blusher, a little....and perfume. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | You put on perfume? |
| Luis: | Yes. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What was it like, what...what was the perfume called, do you know? |
| Luis: | "Sweet Honesty", something like that. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Sweet Honesty! |
| Luis: | Sweet Honesty. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Does this perfume exist? |
| Luis: | Yes, it's for refined women. |
Hugo also pictured himself as a very feminine woman:
| 2nd Interviewer: | Hugo, how did you feel when you saw yourself as a woman? |
| Hugo: | Very strange, like it wasn't me, but I was changing into a woman. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What was she like? Try to tell me her age, describe her. |
| Hugo: | She was 17, tall, long black hair down to her backside, smooth skin, green eyes, flat nose, round face, big buxom breasts, her vagina was hairy, closed, virgin, and she had a very big backside. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | And was this young virgin anything like you? |
| Hugo: | In some ways, in her personality. Sometimes...good, but sometimes she changes, becomes pompous, a pain, a person nobody can put up with. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What did she do for a living? |
| Hugo: | She was a pediatrician. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | And now tell me, how was she dressed? |
| Hugo: | In a long skirt clinging to her body, a top, and a jacket on top. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What color was the skirt? |
| Hugo: | The skirt was black and the top was white. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Now tell me about her makeup. |
| Hugo: | She had red lips, blue eyelids, a very pretty blush. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Did you like yourself as a woman? |
| Hugo: | Yes. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Were you feminine? |
| Hugo: | Yes, completely feminine. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Your shoes, what were they like? |
| Hugo: | Red, with high heels. But a special type, because I had problems with my feet. |
In the case of Mario, it was not only easy for him to imagine himself as a sexy, refined woman, but he also learned about the violence experienced by "the weaker sex" and how women feel when men harass them in the street. Although Mario could perfectly well imagine himself as a woman, he thought it would be horrible to become one. His worst fear is to end up as a transvestite. His narrative is so vivid that it is worth transcribing it in its entirety:
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay Mario. How did you feel during this simulation or trip, as it's sometimes called? |
| Mario: | Bad, bad, bad... |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, you don't have to say it three times. Why bad? |
| Mario: | Well, because you really see what it's like to be a woman, a female, the lack of respect that society, that men, show women, the nasty things they say to them. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, let's take it step by step. First, what is the girl's name? Could you give her a name or not? |
| Mario: | No, I left it blank. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | How old is she? |
| Mario: | Twenty. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Describe her. |
| Mario: | Fair complexion, a voluptuous, exquisite body, nice ass, luscious shiny lips, with lots of jewelry, earrings, emerald and diamond rings to accentuate her beauty, to make her more playful and provocative. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What were her breasts like? |
| Mario: | White with little pink points, delicious. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Large or small? |
| Mario: | Medium. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What was her stomach like? |
| Mario: | Like a movie star, incredible, her crotch was almost hairless, shaved, with a white G-string. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Ah, she had a white G-string! And what about her legs? |
| Mario: | Delicious legs with soft, delicate skin, like a baby, no marks. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, so that's the woman. Now let's see how she was dressed. But before we do that, I want you tell me if this woman was you. |
| Mario: | Well, mentally yes, the mind can do things like that, we completely agree on that point. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, let's see. The woman you were thinking of, how was she dressed? |
| Mario: | In a green silk blouse with a low neckline, no bra, a black leather skirt, a white G-string, high-heeled leather boots that come up to her knees, and a brown leather purse. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Sounds more or less like -- this is my opinion -- the women in sadistic movies with whips in their hands. |
| Mario: | Yes, but this woman is more refined. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Why refined? What does she do for a living? |
| Mario: | Well, she works in tourism, but she's different when she goes out dancing or on a date or goes out on the street. She tries to look prettier and more provocative, but always in a decent, respectable way, with style, which is what characterizes her, so any man -- whether handsome, ugly, rich, or poor - will like her. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | And how is this woman's sex life? |
| Mario: | Hot! |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Does she go up or down stairs to go out on the street? Where does she live? |
| Mario: | In a nice apartment, nicely arranged, the way she is, and she goes downstairs to leave her apartment. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | What neighborhood is it in? |
| Mario: | Los Yoses, in San Pedro (note: a very exclusive suburb of San Jose)... she hails a taxi and goes down Central Avenue, stopping the traffic, she pauses at several boutiques or shops to look at clothing, she hears the men's catcalls. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Let's stop there for a moment. The woman passed by a group of men. Tell me about these men. What were they like? Where were they? What were they doing? |
| Mario: | Punks from the Soda Palace (a downtown diner) who always hang out on the street corner making rude comments to women. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | And what did they say? Tell me exactly. |
| Mario: | Well, they said what a piece of work she was, how much did she charge, that she was out very early, that she shouldn't be out until later at night. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | They thought she was a whore? |
| Mario: | Yes, but they didn't realize that she was a sexy, elegant woman and that she didn't dress like tha because she was a whore, but because she liked to. Anyone can dress sexy if they want to, but the problem is that they're just a bunch of punks. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Mario, when you did the visualization just now you told me that you felt bad. Why? |
| Mario: | Oh, no, no -- for a man to try to be, or to even want to be a woman is awful. At least I personally don't like it. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Why not? |
| Mario: | I don't go along with that, I don't. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | But why not? |
| Mario: | Because it doesn't make sense. For me, it's dangerous to feel like a woman, because after maybe twenty simulations, you realize that you're dressing like a woman. How do you think transvestites and all of those types start out? |
| 2nd Interviewer: | So if we do this exercise twenty times you think might become a transvestite? |
| Mario: | Not exactly, but you start thinking about things and putting ideas into your head, and after talking about it so much and everything... |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay Mario. Don't worry, because this is the only time we're going to do this kind of simulation. |
| Mario: | Good! |
Among other groups with whom we did this exercise, we found that the masculine men are the ones who have the least difficulty with the sex change. Those who are not very sure of their masculinity generally do not do the simulation or say that they can't imagine themselves in a woman's body. Therefore, it is not strange that these cacheros, who are extremely masculine, did not have any problems transforming themselves into women. However, it is interesting to note the ease with which they did it, and the richness of images they described from the perspective of their new, totally feminine personalities.
When they were asked, after the simulation, if they thought they possessed any of the qualities of the women they imagined, the answers were generally negative. Despite the ease with which they visualized themselves in women's bodies, they did not admit to having any feminine traits:
| 2nd Interviewer: | Now we're going to ask some questions that are a little more complex. Let's forget about the girl. I want you to tell me which traits of the opposite sex, that is, which feminine traits, you think you possess. |
| Mario: | Possess, well no... No, I don't have any. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, think carefully... |
| Mario: | No, I just don't have any. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | You don't have anything of the opposite sex? Nothing you do that is similar to the opposite sex, your activities...? |
| Mario: | No. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Well, you go to bed with men, don't you? |
| Mario: | Yeah, but that's different. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Women don't go to bed with men? |
| Mario: | Yeah, but they also go to bed with women. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Maybe that's something you have in common with women. |
| Mario: | Well, in a way, if you put it like that, then, of course, I have to say yes. But apart from that, nothing. |
Because these young men see a world polarized by the masculine and the feminine, everything that goes against masculinity is looked upon badly. Their definition of a homosexual is a man who resembles a woman. Luis' list characterizes the typical homosexual as follows:
These views about gender affect the way in which "cacheros" behave and act. Their way of talking, acting, relating to others and expressing themselves is extremely masculine. Jonás tells us that he even exaggerates sometimes, because he does not like anything feminine. When we asked him to act out a scene of how a "macho" man is picked up by another man, and continues to act masculine, this is what happened:
| 2nd Interviewer: | Now I want us to talk. We're going to do a role play. I'm the client and you're the prostitute. We're going to talk about money. We're in the park, we've already met and spoken to each other. Now we're looking at each other and we start talking... |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Look, how much do you charge? |
| Jonás: | Depends what you want. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Hey, I don't know what I want yet. Why don't we just go to the room? |
| Jonás: | Well, the price is five thousand. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | And what does that include? |
| Jonás: | Everything except penetration. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | You can make love to me for five thousand? |
| Jonás: | With a condom. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Okay, thanks. That's fine -- but I have a problem. I don't have the five thousand, but I want to go with you. Can't you give me a discount? |
| Jonás: | No...but, how much do you have? |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Well, I could give you three. |
| Jonás: | Three thousand...Okay, fine--as long as you don't ask for too much when we're in bed, and you don't ask me to do things I don't want to do. I only do things I want to do. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | Thanks, Jonás. (The role play is over) |
| Jonás: | That's how I have to be: cold and serious. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | You don't smile or anything. Why not? |
| Jonás: | No, because smiling is like opening a door or giving them an advantage or something like that. You have to be cold, and if you say "no," it means "no." |
| 2nd Interviewer: | If you see someone smile like that, what do you do? |
| Jonás: | No, I for me that's embarrassing. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | To smile? |
| Jonás: | It's embarrassing because you can smile at whoever you want, but suppose the other person who's smiling at you is a raving queen and everyone is watching him and then you smile at him... and if you're a good-looking guy and you look at a girl, what a joke! They're going to think that I'm the same, so it's better if I act serious and if they want me fine, and if not, fine. |
| 2nd Interviewer: | So if you smile you lose points. Jonás: As far as I'm concerned, you lose points. |
For Ernesto, it's not smiling that Acacheros@should avoid, but walking like a "queen". He believes that a man should walk proudly, "showing he's got something between his legs. People should know they're looking at a real man." Daniel shares the need to always act masculine. To him, being "macho" is "not letting a man touch your ass or kiss you." Men, according to him, "were not born to be fucked or fondled." To his way of thinking, real 'cacheros' penetrate without hesitation. Mono, on the other hand, thinks that masculinity "is inborn". He thinks that there's "nothing you can do to look masculine." "Look at Lila and me. I don't move or talk like a queen. He was born that way."
Two factors become important in projecting the Acacheros=@virility: sports and reproduction. Sex workers' sports are "macho": pool, soccer, basketball, and boxing. Panameño is a serious soccer player and plays aggressively. "I can't imagine a faggot playing like I do, or training like I do", he says. "Soccer is a masculine sport. You can get pounded in a first-division game, and you usually get more knocks in one night than in all the faggot sports put together." Mono agrees: "You're not going to see any gays playing soccer, or boxing, or even playing pool. Those are aggressive men's games. Nobody puts up with effeminate guys." One of the characteristics that Jorge strongly associates with masculinity is playing pool. Pool halls are among the most sexist places in Costa Rica. It is very unusual to see a woman playing, or even watching the game. Pool halls are exclusively for men, particularly for the most "macho" men, according to Mono. "It's not that it's a particularly aggressive sport or that it requires a lot of physical strength," he continues, "but it's played in a 'macho' environment. No faggot would even try to come in here; chicks either. The players don't like them."
Through reproduction, cacheros proclaim that they are different from their clients. Although they are aware that some of their clients are married and have children, gays for them "don't have families." Cacheros on the other hand, have them "early on." This means that they become fathers at a very young age -- most of the interviewees over 15 already had children. Some claim that they do it because they want to: "You have a natural desire to give a kid to the woman you love. It's a natural part of life," says Pedro. Others, like Daniel, think that "people respect you more as a man when they see you with children." According to Mono," the chick's belly is a sign that you fucked her and got her pregnant," he concludes.
"Cacheros" regard homosexuals in a similar way to women, and describe their physical attributes more than their mental or professional ones. Unlike cacheros, homosexuals are feminine. Panameño considers them "vain," "jealous," "loving," "concerned with details," and "stupid." Mono is less inclined to stereotype homosexuals, but he also believes they are "more human," and that "they tend to get along better with women."
When asked to draw a homosexual, they portrayed a very effeminate man or a transvestite:
To them, homosexuals are men who reflect characteristics of the opposite sex and who feel desire for other men. The prostitutes see themselves as "cacheros," "bisexual," or "male". In other words, they do not mix gender characteristics and they court women in public. Noé does not consider himself homosexual because "I'm not attracted to men." Eric defines himself as "100% pro-vagina." Luis thinks he is heterosexual because he feels attracted only to women. Mario considers himself bisexual, but his definition is based on the fact that he enjoys penetrating both men and women. For him "having sex with a woman or with a man is the same... the ass is what I like."
For Tío, being gay means "feeling like a woman." According to him, there are various degrees of 'gayness'. The most extreme case is a "queen" who is obsessed with being a woman. Tío is well aware that there are many types of homosexuals and that being gay is not synonymous with being effeminate. However, what makes him different from them is that "I don't like other men and I don't turn to look at them on the street, like they do." Tomás agrees that it is the harassment of other men and the rejection of women that determines homosexuality and that prevents him from being homosexual. These different perceptions of homosexuality amount to more than a simple appraisal. They reveal the cultural basis of a discourse on gender and sexuality. People are divided, not in terms of personality or sexual practice, but in terms of their physical power. Men are those who control other men and women. For this reason, Acacherismo@, as an aspect of this model, does not generate any co