Gary Goldbaum

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

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.