HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men | NIH

Contents:

• WHY ARE GAY MEN MORE AT RISK FOR HIV?
• DO ALL GAY PEOPLE HAVE AIDS?
• HIV AND ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• IS AIDS A “GAY” DISEASE?

WHY ARE GAY MEN MORE AT RISK FOR HIV?

Gay and bisexual men n take the followg steps to rce their risk of HIV fectn:. I jt put up a satiril post on “Homosexualy the 21st Century. ” My tentn was to make fun of some of the stereotypil views certa people have about homosexual men and women.

At one pot I mented on someone aaid of a neighbor who might be sufferg om AIDS—simply bee the neighbor is homosexual. I was surprised to fd a ment om “Anonymo” that timated I was nyg the high prevalence of AIDS the gay muny. He went on to make a ment about “pro-gay zealots.

” I suppose I am a pro-gay zealot if that means I feel strongly that homosexual men and women should be treated like the rt of . I certaly did not wish to ny the special vulnerabily gay men have to tchg AIDS.

DO ALL GAY PEOPLE HAVE AIDS?

Inially, there were reports of an odd disease, cltered particular the male homosexual muny— New York Cy and the Caribbean particular—which ed the men to suffer om a wi variety of unmon and ultimately fatal fectns. There was much discsn about whether this new disease was a new fect disease or simply an outgrowth of “life style” behavrs of gay men, cludg the e of certa illegal substanc.

I remember havg lunch wh a number of doctors, all of whom were makg sni and vulgar remarks about homosexual behavr.

It had bee pla that anti-gay feelgs were layg any actn on the rapid spread of this disease.

HIV AND ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Then, when everyone regnized, at last, that AIDS was ed fect, the prejudice agast homosexuals spread sudnly to a fear of anyone wh AIDS.

Children were told to avoid anyone who looked like they might be gay. I have glossed over the ntroversi that grew up one after the other on the prumed danger of tchg AIDS through ntal procr, or shakg hands wh a gay man, and so on.

It should be kept md, however, that feelgs about gay men layed the vtigatn of this ndn. David explas what’s behd the higher rat of HIV among gay men. David: This gentlemen asks, “’Why are gay men more at risk for HIV?

IS AIDS A “GAY” DISEASE?

Sce the HIV epimic started the 1980s gay men have been at a greater risk and reprented more of the new HIV s that we’ve known this untry and actually ternatnally as well. In this day and time, gay men still make up about 2/3 of the new HIV diagnosis.

So aga, the pot I would want to make, ’s not bee of who you are, ’s not jt bee you’re gay. It’s bee we live a high HIV prevalent society among gay men and then also bee some of the behavrs that we engage may put more at risk for HIV. Unrstand important health issu for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and get tips for matag good Mayo Clic Staff.

However, there are some specific health ncerns that gay men and other men who have sex wh men need to be aware of. Gay men and other men who have sex wh men may be at an creased risk of prsn, bipolar disorr and anxiety. Gay men also are more likely to have body image problems and eatg disorrs, such as anorexia and bulimia, than are other men.

Gay men are more likely to al wh alhol e disorr than are other people.

Many health re and mental health anizatns foced on the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny also offer substance e treatment or may be able to provi rmatn about lol rourc.

And rearch has shown that gay men and other men who have sex wh men experience timate partner vlence at a higher rate than do other men. But gay men might be more likely to stay silent about this kd of vlence due to fear of discrimatn. A lack of shelters and other facili equipped to offer gay men a safe, supportive place to get help also may make dntg to seek re.

Concern about homophobia and the stigma sometim associated wh homosexualy may prevent some gay men om gettg route health re. Primary re of gay men and men who have sex wh men..

Gay and bisexual men's health: Mental health. Gay and bisexual men's health: Stigma and discrimatn.

Gay, bisexual and queer men's attus and unrstandgs of timate partner vlence and sexual asslt. A spg review of timate partner vlence as relat to the experienc of gay and bisexual men. And homosexual men are at even greater risk.