<i>“Gqoka ingubo yobudoda bakho”</i> - “Put on your blanket of manhood”: Sexual debut, vulnerability and desire in the lifeworlds of South African young men

While high HIV prevalence rates in South Africa have generated much interest in the study of men's sexual behaviours, there has been relatively little consideration of the complexity of male sexuality. With regard to sexual debut, the majority of the research has focused on female sexual debut, with the finding that for many young girls sexual debut is a traumatic event because many are forced or coerced into having sex when not yet ready. Very little attention has been given to the dynamics and experiences of male sexual debut. This briefing draws attention to the accounts of the sexual debut of young males, using a biographical approach. We would like to suggest that contrary to popular perceptions of males as sexual predators, the onset of sexual activity for young men can be filled with confusion and vulnerability, since it is the place where innocence of sexual desire is most pronounced. This vulnerable and intimate character of young mens early sexuality is often markedly different from their later conceptions and expressions of sexuality. The data on which this paper is based are drawn from a larger study on men's sexual biographies.