Generation Sex Secrets of South America

This programme contains some strong language.

It's World Cup year and the whole of South America will be celebrating.

Saude.

I'm Billie JD Porter...

ALL: Hi!

..and in this series I'm going to three countries

across this spectacular and rapidly changing continent,

lifting the lid on young people's passions, dreams and obstacles.

GUNSHOTS

South America has some famously sensual cities.

Tonight I'm in Argentina to find out how the desire for freedom is

shaping sex in the city for young people here.

Springtime in Buenos Aires and the streets are alive

with passion and energy.

I'm here with ten days to go

until the Dia de La Primavera or Spring Break,

where people here party like crazy.

The nightlife is buzzing with sexuality - from the dating...

..to the music...

..and the parties.

But this is a country of contradictions,

where sexual freedoms run up against

the power of the Catholic Church which frowns on contraception

and supports the government's criminalisation of abortion.

Add to this a turbulent past

in a country where young people are caught in a tug of war

between traditional values and modern freedoms

and you get a potent mix I'm going to explore.

As the spring celebrations approach,

and young people here get ready to party,

I don't have long to try and unlock

the secrets surrounding one of the country's biggest passions - sex.

Buenos Aires.

Capital of Argentina and one of the most diverse

and dynamic cities in South America.

Sitting on the banks of the River Plate,

with its grand avenues, it has a strong European feel about it.

Scratch the surface, however,

and you'll find a flavour that is distinctly Latin American.

I have just arrived in Buenos Aires, so I am at a hotel,

but it's unlike any hotel I've ever been to before,

this is a telo, a hotel room you can rent by the hour

for anyone who wants to have a quickie, basically.

Telos, or love hotels,

are as much part of Argentine daily life as football and tango.

"Be safe."

MOANING FROM OTHER ROOM

Oh, my God.

MOANING

You can hear various grunts

and groans from people in the neighbouring rooms.

KNOCKING ON WALL

Sounds like someone is dying.

KNOCKING

As well as having a food menu so you can get your post-coital

ham and cheese toastie, they have also got a catalogue of sex toys.

I'm really hoping it's not rental.

And like any regular hotel, every telo comes with a manager.

In this case it's Nick,

who's been running this one for more than ten years.

What are people's main reasons for using telos?

Do you tend to get very busy during Dia de la Primavera?

Nick takes me on a tour of the telo,

which has 24 quite distinct rooms, catering for all tastes.

This one has got a mirrored ceiling.

Is this actually legit? Has someone just left?

They didn't use a condom!

They used a toothbrush - God knows what for.

So, how much are these rooms, then?

That's about 20 quid, that's quite a bargain.

It's the middle of the day

but at telos there's always a steady stream of customers.

It's estimated about three million annually across the city.

So, are we holding people up right now?

One couple we're not holding up as much are Maria and Fernando

who are getting in the mood for spring break,

and are no strangers to the telo.

How old are you both?

Did you lose your virginity at a telo?

-Yes.

-No, I don't.

-Wow!

Do young people often visit telos on Dia de la Primavera?

It's time to leave - but luckily the getaway's easy.

Wow! It's like a drive-through.

Wow, and there's Wi-Fi.

Really like the telo, it was good fun.

I think it's a great idea regardless of whether or not

you live with your parents, if you go by one,

you can stop for an hour, good idea, get them in England!

There are approximately 180 telos in Buenos Aires,

boasting an estimated 5,000 rooms - and a steady stream of people

queuing up to use them.

Time to head out into the city.

Are you going to Dia de la Primavera?

Does everyone tend to get wasted?

Do people tend to hook up lots?

Everyone I have spoken to seems really, really excited

about Dia de la Primavera, I'm really excited.

Buenos Aires is alive with passion.

From the food...

to the footy...

and, of course, the tango.

But there are other types of music and dancing

pushing the boundaries here.

One of the country's

most popular TV programmes in recent years, Bailando Por Un Sueno,

is a dance show that features barely concealed nudity

and simulated sex.

And some of the most popular music, cumbia villera

and reggaeton, is known for its explicit dancing and lyrics.

It's showcased on a TV show called Pasion De Sabadot,

and with a week to go before Dia de la Primavera

I'm heading over to the studios.

Is cumbia music a big thing here?

What about the dancers here, are the dancers quite sexy?

The show's produced by Pablo Serantoni

who I catch with while the bands are setting up.

I've read that some of the cumbia music...that the lyrics are,

are really, really, I don't know, that they objectify women

and talk about them as sex objects and there is one song where

they talk about a girl having a mouth that smells like cum?

I mean, is that true, is that accurate?

Recently, shows like Pasion have been told by the government

to tone down their sexual content.

But this message clearly hasn't made it to some of the groups performing.

It makes me tear my hair out when people attack pop artists

for being "inappropriate", like Rihanna and stuff,

I'm a fan, but...

can I be brutally honest? I thought that was really,

really inappropriate, the way that you were dancing in front of children.

Ugh, stop!

Some other Latin American countries have banned

reggaeton from TV and radio as too explicit,

but these guys show no sign of censoring their tunes.

Maybe people's boundaries here are just different because, you know,

they seem to think it was perfectly normal to do that, but, um,

I don't know, you are simulating, like

really aggressively fucking a girl

in front of like, really, really tiny kids.

In another part of the giant studio an all-girl band called

The Culisueltas has arrived, although the magic of television

is dispelled when I realise their dressing room is the girls' toilet.

Hiya, glamour...

And yet again, very young fans.

Ciao.

Do you think they listen to the more extreme cumbia villera music?

They seem to be pretty young to be listening to

music about, like...

I don't know, anal sex and crack.

They do understand, they do, they do understand, they understand.

The band's name translates roughly as "girls who like to

"shake their asses" and I'm about to find out why.

Then it all gets a bit awkward.

Can you dance?

Not now.

But you only have to do...

-you dance, but like this, like them, OK?

-OK.

The Culisueltas are energetic, outgoing...and sexually confident

like many young people here.

But this is a country of contradictions

not least because of the Catholic Church, which exerts enormous power

and influence over the population, 90% of whom are Catholics.

Its status has been reinforced by the recent appointment

of Pope Francis, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

HE SPEAKS IN SPANISH

While seen as more liberal than his predecessors,

he leads a church that still takes a negative viewpoint

on many sexual matters, from contraception to abortion.

And when Argentina became the first Latin American county

to legalise same-sex marriage, many Catholics were angry.

I'm off to meet someone who's treading the tricky line

between church and her sexuality...

and doing so in a surprising way.

Hiya.

17-year-old Camilla attends

a strict Catholic school and is every bit the model student.

Hi.

But over the last few year she's undergone a remarkable transformation.

When did you realise that you were gay?

What were your thoughts or preconceptions about gay people

before you realised you were gay as well?

Support from her Catholic mother

who went against the views of the rest of the family

helped Camilla when she came out two years ago, but it wasn't easy.

And who is she now?

BURLESQUE MUSIC

Lola, Camilla's alter-ego,

revelling in her sexuality and posing for pin-up photos.

What do you think your friends at school would say

if they could see you in that outfit? So far as the amount of

flesh that you are showing, do you think they'd be offended by it?

But it hasn't been easy for Lola.

When she came out at 15, life was difficult.

How did you feel about Lola's experiences after she came out?

And for Lola, the Primavera is integral

to her feelings of being transformed.

It's all about being able to express yourself -

and the new liberal attitudes here in Argentina have given her

the confidence to do that.

For others, these attitudes have fuelled

an appetite for adventure which I find around spring party time.

Now, Argentineans are pretty well known for being unfaithful.

Supposedly it's just part of the culture here

but it not something that just affects people who are married,

having affairs, it's something

that young people get involved with as well and I'm actually

on my way to a club night called "noche de la trampa"

which translates

to a night of cheating, basically.

Right. OK. Thanks.

-Hola.

-Hola.

Does everyone here have, like,

a boyfriend or a girlfriend back at home, then?

Is that part of the idea, that it's a night away from them?

So, this is basically a sort of free-for-all

for people looking to hook up and have sex?

I've been hearing that most people have affairs

that it is very normal,

that's part of the issue with telos

and it just seems like a cheating culture.

-It's good, it's good, it's love.

-Yeah.

I was really pleasantly surprised by that, I thought

it was going to be super cheesy but actually it was super fun

and I'm going to do a U-turn and go back.

The appetite for sex here isn't exactly subtle.

Everybody seems to be up for it all the time.

I feel I need someone to help me analyse what's going on.

Buenos Aires is a haven for psychoanalysts, there are more

here per head of population than anywhere else in the world.

All I have to do is make an appointment.

Hola, it's Billie.

Si.

Dr Juan Carlos Kusnetzoff has patiently been listening to

young Argentineans talking about their sex lives

for the past 20 years.

What sort of problems do people come to you with?

It does feel very, very sexual.

You know you've got the telos, the tango,

you know, the constant sort of

wolf whistling on the street, at first I found it funny,

now I just find it... I get pissed off by it

mainly because I can't retaliate,

cos I don't speak Spanish, but also when I have been going out to bars

and stuff, speaking to people, and it being impossible to have

a sort of Platonic conversation with anyone,

I feel like everyone just wants to hook up.

And I find it quite exhausting.

Do you think that people here are used to it,

or do they find it exhausting as well?

As recently as the 1980s, Argentina was run by an oppressive

military dictatorship, which had been in power since the mid '70s.

It was a brutal time, with the armed forces

permanently on the streets out to control the population.

During this period, known as the Dirty War,

over 30,000 people were "disappeared" -

that is arrested, tortured and secretly executed.

Armed men would raid homes to seize

mainly young people opposed to the dictatorship,

who were persecuted for their liberal beliefs.

Many were brought here, the former Navy Mechanical School,

known as ESMA, which acted as a torture centre.

BIRDS SQUAWK

There is certainly a spooky atmosphere here.

They're gutting a lot of the barracks as well,

so you can see inside

and they are completely empty.

That's where the military were staying at the time.

About 5,000 people came through here

and never came out again.

They were tortured in the main building, executed here.

Many were taken on "death flights" over the Atlantic,

where their bodies were dropped into the ocean.

ESMA is now a museum honouring the memory of those who were taken.

It also honours the mothers and grandmothers of "the disappeared",

who, for over 30 years have been campaigning to unearth the truth

about what happened to their children and grandchildren.

CHANTING IN SPANISH

Known as the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo,

their determination has inspired

a new generation of young Argentineans,

such as Nayla and Gabriel, to become politically active.

Tell me about what's going on here...

If they are the family of the disappeared,

how come they weren't taken as well?

There must be so many young people getting involved in activism

and, you know, really inspired by what they see here.

Do you think that this liberation that the country has felt

since the dictatorship has had an impact

on young people's open-mindedness when it comes to sex?

As well as marching around the plaza,

the mothers also set up stalls to help fund their ongoing campaign.

I think, maybe this one...

Could you ask them... did they have relatives that disappeared, as well?

She's going to show us.

I'm sorry.

I'm getting...

I went to the, um, the memorial today...

'I don't cry easily, but it's hard not to be moved seeing the grandmothers

'on their vigil, and inspiring to hear that young people are using

'the freedoms many of their parents didn't have, to become involved.'

The past has certainly given rise to a passion for living here,

which expresses itself in all sorts of ways.

People keep telling me about this aphrodisiac restaurant

so tonight I've come for a lonely date here

to sample the sensual menu.

-Hola.

-Como estas.

'Chatting with Carlos, the owner...'

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

'..I find it's a menu with a very distinct flavour.'

Right...

"Lying on her back... she took hold of her ankles..."

"On fire... I beg you spill all over my body."

What would you recommend?

Um, "We explode in a delirium of obscene words".

Er...it's ravioli.

SHE CHUCKLES

Do you think this place is more than

just a novelty restaurant, it's a place that Argentine people

come to genuinely eat and to feel sexy?

Do you get very busy during Dia de la Primavera?

THEY GREET IN SPANISH

'It's not fun eating alone, so I try to make some friends.'

What are you having to eat?

"Her proud sex swells and becomes inflamed."

I was considering that, yeah. And you...?

"The pleasure of her treasure and my aroused tongue",

that's a steak, basically, isn't it?

I feel super pathetic and a bit tragic being here on my own.

Who knows what will happen

if I go out tonight on the prowl because I am too horny?

Usually after my dinner I have ice cream for dessert

not a live show featuring striptease, erotic dancing

and ending in what looks like an orgy.

In a diner across town

Lola and her friends are sticking with a safer option - milkshakes.

Do you think Buenos Aires is a nice place to grow up as a teenager?

Are you guys going to Dia de la Primavera?

There's no denying how free and open Argentina can be,

especially for young people like Lola and her friends.

But this freedom is, in many ways,

held back by the dominance of the Church,

which opposes not only gay marriage but abortion and most contraception.

The teenage birth rate here is over double that of the UK, and often

the young mums, who mainly come from the poorer sections of society,

are given very little support.

But I meet a man trying to change this...

-Hola.

-Hola.

'Gynaecologist Ricardo Gutierrez,

'who's based in one of Argentina's busiest public hospitals.'

I saw lots and lots of mums outside with babies.

Dr Gutierrez runs a sexual health clinic on the edge of Villa 31,

one of the biggest and most deprived slums in the city,

and home to nearly 200,000 people.

Teenage girls living in areas like this

are four times more likely to become pregnant

than those living in richer areas,

with poor education and limited access to medical services

playing a big part in this divide.

It's too dangerous for the medics to enter by the main road,

so they resort to a more unusual method to get into the clinic.

So you have to get into this Villa via this train station,

it's a bit of a weird place to enter.

-Hola.

-Hola.

On a normal day here, how many young girls are you seeing?

And how old do those girls tend to be?

The age of consent here is 13, isn't it?

Is it difficult to get hold of condoms,

is it harder here than elsewhere?

Do you think that the problem is

that people don't know to use them then?

It's pretty shocking here.

I couldn't stop imagining myself having to have

an examination in that room and how terrified I would be.

To think that there are girls who are 12, 13,

it must be really scary to...

I don't know, have to go through that.

Palmera is one of the young mums who relies on the clinic.

-CHUCKLING:

-Cute.

So, he's yours?

How old is he?

So you had him when you were 15?

Was it planned, I mean, was it an accident that you got pregnant?

Do you lots of your friends have children as well?

As well as risks to the mother, children born to teens are

more likely to be premature, underweight

and suffer from retarded growth.

But it's not just the health problems

that the Argentinean authorities are worried about.

Only four out of ten teenagers carry on studying

once they become pregnant.

The problem's so bad that high schools

are now opening their own nurseries,

which lets the teen mums carry on with their education.

I'm going to one school

to meet some of the young mums who use these nurseries.

How old is your daughter?

And how old were you when you had her?

Where do you think you'd be if this nursery didn't exist,

if your school hadn't put it into place?

Although the nursery is a huge help for the girls,

the pressures on having a baby while still at school are enormous.

I want to see if any of them

considered terminating their pregnancy.

Were any of you worried when you found out you were pregnant,

did any of you think about looking into an abortion?

Are any of you religious?

So many of my friends have had abortions.

Um, it's not something that would necessary enter a lot of our heads,

I don't think, to have a kid at my age.

These teen mothers wouldn't have considered an abortion.

Perhaps the Catholic Church has contributed to their view,

with its complete opposition to it.

But there are thousands of women in Argentina

looking to terminate their pregnancies.

It's illegal, so many resort to underground clinics

where backstreet surgeons operate in squalid conditions,

often with horrifying results.

How primitive are we talking, with the botched abortions,

what methods are they using?

Half a million women undergo illegal abortions every year in Argentina.

Of those, 80,000 are admitted to hospital with acute complications,

and around 100 die.

The vast majority happen behind closed doors,

with anonymity being the watchword.

It's a taboo subject,

but one woman is prepared to talk to me.

Camilla was 21 when she fell pregnant by accident.

I can't imagine how terrifying and daunting a prospect it must be

to even think about how you are going to try and get rid of

a baby here. I mean, what happened

when you actually went for the abortion?

-They didn't know your name?

-No.

Did they claim to be doctors or...? They didn't say?

'Complications resulting from an abortion are often kept quiet.

'In most cases, the women are too afraid to seek help from a doctor.'

What happens then if you are reported to the police

for looking into having an abortion, what do they do?

God, it's unbelievable... it's preposterous.

How would you feel about me checking out

if the clinic is still operating?

While abortion remains a criminal offence, it's impossible to know

how many clinics there are in Argentina,

and under what conditions they operate.

Trying to find out if the clinic Camilla used

is still operating isn't going to be easy either.

But I find someone who agrees to help.

I've got hold of this journalist who has agreed to go in undercover

and say that she wants to have an abortion herself.

-Perfect.

-OK.

-Good luck.

'Once the evidence has been gathered, using a secret camera,

'she'll call me. All I can do now is wait.'

Around half of Argentineans now support the right to abortion,

and there's a growing movement that regularly takes to the streets

demanding a change in the law.

Camilla invites me to a demonstration

that's taking place outside the capital's Congress building

Is it nice to see so many young people here?

Have you got many friends here then?

One of these people is German Cardoso,

a member of an Argentine doctors' association committed to

legalising abortion and eradicating dangerous backstreet clinics.

It's great, there's loads of people.

'He was a highly-trained surgeon with a successful career, who,

'after helping a desperate colleague with an abortion,

'dedicated his life to helping other women

'obtain safe and clinical procedures.

'But being open about it has got him into trouble with the law,

'as he explains when I meet up with him away from the demonstration.'

When were you arrested?

How many girls are calling you each day?

'Underground abortions are the biggest cause of maternal death

'in the country, three times more than the world average.'

Of the abortions that are being carried out here,

how many do you think are by actual doctors?

It's quite, um...difficult

talking about abortion here really.

I've had...

lots and lots of friends who have had them,

and they are traumatic enough back home, let alone, you know,

having to worry about if you're committing a crime

or if the person who is performing it

is properly qualified. I can't imagine.

I've finally got the secret footage of Camilla's clinic,

and it's no surprise the man giving the advice is not a doctor.

Is this very difficult to watch?

'As we watch the footage, Camilla seems understandably anxious. '

'Then something appears that throws me.'

There's a cat.

While the footage clearly shows that the clinic is still doing

illegal abortions, what really disturbs me is the way

it operates with seemingly little interest

in the welfare of the women.

Not enquiring about someone's medical history

and prior complications, it doesn't seem to be...

there's no information about the pregnancy itself

or about how it occurred,

obviously that must lead to, you know, things going wrong.

Until the law changes, backstreet clinics will continue to operate

with minimal protection for the women using them,

which will mean more suffering, and more deaths.

It's almost time for Dia de la Primavera,

and to get me in the mood, I decide to go out dancing...

somewhere that's turning tradition on its head.

TANGO MUSIC PLAYS

I've come to the city's first gay tango hall, or milonga.

It's the start of the lesson, and I decide to join in.

I've roped a barman, Fernando, into being my partner.

Which foot? My right? OK, OK. I'm a natural.

Traditionally in tango, the male guides the woman around the floor.

But not here, where same sex couples

are making their own rules.

Not that that is helping me.

-I'm quite bad, I think.

-Yes.

-Am I cramping Fernando's style?

He's totally lost.

'After the lesson I sit down with Augusto,

'who's been putting me through my paces.'

Argentina is very progressive so far as gay rights is concerned.

Do you think, for that reason,

more nights like this will start cropping up and lasting?

Honestly, no, there won't be the necessity of an exclusive gay place.

The chance to dance in a traditional milonga, I think

now are more open because of the law and legalisation, no?

But, yes, it's going with the rhythm of the society.

At Dia de la Primavera, is there any

special tango events or dancing that happens to celebrate?

Actually, it depends on the organiser!

HE LAUGHS

Sometimes we make some sort of contest with tango

or some other rhythms.

What I try to do in this place, in my place,

is to have...to enjoy tango, but to have fun with some other things.

'The gay scene here is remarkably open,

'given the Catholic Church's traditional views

'on homosexuality and same sex marriage.'

I want to see if these views are echoed

by the new generation of churchgoers.

I would be interested to know where you stand

so far as the legislation of gay marriage.

The fact that that is allowed and there is a thriving gay scene here.

Do you all agree with that?

'But what do they think about

'the more controversial issue of abortion?'

Have any of you ever known someone who has had an abortion?

I think that, regardless of your religious viewpoint,

it's obvious that abortions will continue to happen,

and it's my thinking that it would be safer for everyone

if it was legalised...

because less mothers would die. No?

Around Dia de la Primavera, I know there are several different groups

and charities handing out condoms and promoting the idea of safe sex.

I'm not surprised by some of these young Catholics' views.

But their take on contraception is definitely more in keeping

with the new liberal Argentina.

At last, Dia de la Primavera has arrived,

and there's a real excitement in the air

as final preparations are made for this big event.

Meanwhile, I've heard about a private celebration,

and decide to drop in on it.

Argentina's transsexual community are in many ways

the ultimate example of the contradictions I've seen here.

They benefit from some of the most progressive transgender laws anywhere.

You can change your gender identity here without changing your sex,

but at the same time, they face daily harassment.

Around 85% don't finish normal high school,

but now a ground-breaking new school is making a difference.

Patatas fritas.

Around 40 students study here,

and many are helping prepare for the big day.

What are your plans?

How long have you been students here?

How have you found it, how has it helped you?

The Mocha Celis school, one of the first of its kind in the world,

is where transvestites and transsexuals

can safely finish their education,

away from selling themselves on the street,

which many have to do to survive.

I am sure you inspire lots of young people

who have struggled with the same things as you.

What's the plan for Dia de la Primavera?

Cool!

I leave the students to enjoy their celebrations

and head out into the city to enjoy the rest of the day.

The weather is good, the organisers are ready

and hundreds of kids are pouring into the park.

Thousands are expected to the all-day party.

In past years, the celebrations, fuelled by drugs and alcohol,

have got out of hand, so this time

the police aren't taking any chances.

There's a buzz in the air, although, as I've seen

over the past few weeks, in this city,

sexual undertones are never far away.

Even the clowns are shouting things and looking at my skirt, it's gross.

These guys, lurking behind the tree.

-Hola.

-Hola.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Are you going to get very drunk?

How drunk?

People have been looking forward to this day for months,

and I get the feeling everyone is determined to make it a big one.

THUNDERCLAP

But then, disaster strikes.

For us in the UK, a festival's not complete without a bit of rain,

but over here, bad weather definitely stops play.

It's freezing and it's raining and everyone is leaving. Very miserable.

In spite of the downpour, some, like Lola, are still trying

to get into the festive spirit.

Is this typical of Dia de la Primavera?

These guys are trying their best, but I plan a quick exit

when someone whips out an acoustic guitar.

CAR HORNS BLARE

Once the sun goes down, the partying kicks off all over again

THEY CHANT

I'm in the middle of Palermo right now and it's super, super busy.

It's about 2.30am, which by Argentinean standards

is quite early. We've had Dia de la Primavera today

and everyone seems in the mood for a celebration

Do things tend to get a bit busier and crazier on this day?

So how did you celebrate today?

Is it a good opportunity to meet a guy?

We all are.

DRUMMING

But the springtime celebrations don't just go on for one night.

The partying carries on the following weekend...

..which gives me an opportunity to meet up one more time with Lola.

-How you doing?

-Hi.

Her journey from Catholic schoolgirl to lesbian pin-up model encapsulates

the spirit and freedom that the new generation of Argentineans have.

She's hosting a springtime party,

and with the queues snaking round the block, it seems this is

definitely the place to be - no matter who you are.

What sort of people are here?

Looking round the packed club, it's great to see how everyone

is free to be completely themselves.

The atmosphere is electric.

Everywhere you look there is dancing, snogging...

and a whole lot more.

Do you think that young people here feel,

for the most part, free to express themselves?

When I first came to Argentina, I was struck by the sexual atmosphere

and young people's strength in their opinions.

As I've got to know the place, I've come to realise

it's not just about sexual freedom, it's about having a voice.

There are so many contradictions here.

There's an undeniable feeling of sexual energy in the air.

And I think that open-mindedness

with regard to sex and young people is really encouraged here,

but at the same time, abortion is illegal,

and there's a huge problem of teen pregnancy here.

The young people I've met are determined

to express themselves - a direct reaction to the years of repression.

In doing so, they are pushing against a society

dominated by traditional Catholic values.

But the extraordinary thing is, it's this tension that seems to be

energising the young people of Argentina,

and making it such an exciting place.

Next week, I'm in Brazil,

living it up at their glitzy 15th-birthday balls.

I underestimated the debutante ball thing.

Wow!

It's boom time here, but some aren't invited to the party.

Where I am now, they're literally struggling to survive.

Will a few Cinderellas make it to the ball?