Skip to main content
Log in

Differences in Risk Behavior and Sources of AIDS Information Among Gay, Bisexual, and Straight-Identified Men Who Have Sex with Men

  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

At public sex environments in four U.S. cities, 1,369 men who have sex with men (MSM) were asked about sexual self-identification, recent HIV risk behaviors, and exposures to HIV information. Half of respondents (n = 687) self-identified as gay, 40% (n = 546) as bisexual, and 10% (n = 136) as straight. Ninety-nine percent of both gay and bisexual MSM and 96% of straight MSM reported oral sex with men; 94%, 68%, and 46%, respectively, reported anal sex with men, while 62%, 98%, and 97%, respectively, reported vaginal sex with women. Recent exposure to any HIV information was reported by 96%, 91%, and 89% respectively of gay, bisexual, and straight MSM; gay MSM were most likely to get HIV information from talking with someone. However, television was the only medium to reach more than half of gay, bisexual, and straight MSM. Non-gay-identified MSM and their partners are at high risk for HIV transmission, but more study is needed to identify the most effective channels for conveying risk reduction messages to this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Billy, J. O. G., Tanfer, K., Grady, W. R., and Klepinger, D. H. (1993). The sexual behavior of men in the United States. Family Planning Perspectives, 25, 52–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boles, J., and Elifson, K. W. (1994). Sexual identity and HIV: The male prostitute. Journal of Sex Research, 31, 39–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carballo-Dieguez, A., and Dolezal, C. (1994). Contrasting types of Puerto Rican men who have sex with men (MSM). Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 6, 41–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1995). HIV risk practices of male injecting-drug users who have sex with men — Dallas, Denver, and Long Beach, 1991–1994. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 44, 767–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996a). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 8, 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996b). Community-level prevention of human immunodeficiency virus infection among high-risk populations: The AIDS Community Demonstration Projects. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 45, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chu, S. Y., Peterman, T. A., Doll, L. S., Buehler, J. W., and Curran, J. W. (1992). AIDS in bisexual men in the United States: Epidemiology and transmission to women. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 220–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean, A., G., Dean, J. A., and Coulombier, D. (1994). Epi Info, Version 6: A word processing, database, and statistics program for epidemiology on microcomputers. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz, T., Chu, S. Y., Frederick, M., Hermann, P., Levy, A., Mokotoff, E., Whyte, B., Conti, L., Herr, M., Checko, P. J., Rietmeijer, C. A., Sorvillo, F., and Mukhtar, Q. (1993). Sociodemographics and HIV risk behaviors of bisexual men with AIDS: Results from a multi state interview project. AIDS, 7, 1227–1232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doll, L. S., and Beeker, C. (1996). Male bisexual behavior and HIV risk in the United States: Synthesis of research with implications for behavioral interventions. AIDS Education and Prevention, 8, 205–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doll, L. S., Peterson, L. R., White, C. R., Johnson, E. S., and Ward, J. W. (1992). Blood Study Donor Group: Homosexually and nonhomosexually identified men who have sex with men: A behavioral comparison. Journal of Sex Research, 29, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fay, R. E., Turner, C. F., Klassen, A. D., and Gagnon, J. K. (1989). Prevalence and patterns of same-gender sexual contact among men. Science, 243, 338–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldbaum, G., Perdue, T., and Higgins, D. (1996). Non-gay-identifying men who have sex with men: Formative research results from Seattle, Washington. Public Health Reports, 111 (suppl.), 36–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hays, R. B., Kegeles, S. M., and Coates, T. J. (1990). High HIV risk-taking among young gay men, AIDS, 4, 901–907.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, T. G., Kelly, J. A., Sikkema, K. J., Roffman, R. R., Solomon, L. J., Winett, R. A., Stevenson, L. Y., Perry, M. J., Norman, A. D., and Desiderato, L. J. (1995). Differences in HIV risk characteristics between bisexual and exclusively gay men. AIDS Education and Prevention, 7, 504–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, D. L., Galavotti, C., O'Reilly, K., Sheridan, J., and the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects (1997). Evolution and development of the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects. In N. Corby and R. Wolitski (Eds.), Community HIV Prevention: The Long Beach AIDS Community Demonstration Project (pp. 5–20). Long Beach, CA: University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, D. L., O'Reilly, K., Tashima, N., Crain, C., Beeker, C., Goldbaum, G., Elifson, C. S., Galavotti, C., and Guenther-Grey, C. (1996). Using formative research to lay the foundation for community-level HIV prevention efforts: An example from the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects. Public Health Reports, 111 (suppl.), 28–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleinbaum, D. G., Kupper, L. L., and Morgenstern H. (1982). Epidemiologic research: Principles and quantitative methods. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J., Kanouse, D. E., Rogers, W. H., Carson, S., and Hertz, R. (1992). Behavior patterns and sexual identity of bisexual males. Journal of Sex Research, 29, 141–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lifson, A. R. (1992). Men who have sex with men: Continued challenges for preventing HIV infection and AIDS. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 166–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKirnan, D. J., Stokes, J. P., and Doll, L. (1995). Bisexually active men: Social characteristics and sexual behavior. Journal of Sex Research, 32, 65–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messiah, A., Mouret, F. E., and the French National Survey on Sexual Behavior Group (1996). Sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior of bisexual men in France: Implications for HIV prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 85, 1543–1546.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norusis, M. J. (1993). SPSS for Windows base system user's guide release 6.0. Chicago: SPSS.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Reilly, K. R., and Higgins, D. L. (1991). AIDS community demonstration projects for HIV prevention among hard-to-reach groups. Public Health Reports, 106, 714–720.

    Google Scholar 

  • Research Triangle Institute. (1990). National household seroprevelance survey: report to the national center for health statistics. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stokes, J. P., McKirnan, D. J., and Burzette, R. G. (1993). Sexual behavior, condom use, disclosure of sexuality, and stability of sexual orientation in bisexual men. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 203–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stokes, J. P., McKirnan, D. J., Doll, L., and Burzette, R. G. (1996). Female partners of bisexual men: What they don't know might hurt them. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20, 267–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolitski, R. J. (1993, October). HIV risk practices of gay-identified and non-gay-identified men who have sex with men. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA.

  • Wolitski, R. J., Rietmeijer, C., and Goldbaum, G. (1996, July). Men's disclosure of HIV risk to their female partners. Presented at the XI International Conference on AIDS, VanCouver, BC.

  • Wood, R. W., Krueger, L. E., Pearlman, T. C., and Goldbaum, G. (1993). HIV transmission: Women's risk from bisexual men. American Journal of Public Health, 83, 1757–1759.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goldbaum, G., Perdue, T., Wolitski, R. et al. Differences in Risk Behavior and Sources of AIDS Information Among Gay, Bisexual, and Straight-Identified Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 2, 13–21 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022399021926

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022399021926

Navigation