Aspects of Gay Male Coupl’ Sexual Agreements Vary by Their Relatnship Length - PMC

Contents:

• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
• 15 STEREOTYP THAT LIM OUR PERCEPTNS OF GAY MEN
• CHARACTERISTICS AND ALLOWED BEHAVRS OF GAY MALE UPL’ SEXUAL AGREEMENTS
• ASPECTS OF GAY MALE COUPL’ SEXUAL AGREEMENTS VARY BY THEIR RELATNSHIP LENGTH
• RELATNSHIP CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVATNS BEHD AGREEMENTS AMONG GAY MALE COUPL: DIFFERENC BY AGREEMENT TYPE AND COUPLE SEROSTAT

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

Bee there is a arth of general rearch regardg this muny, and no studi to date that e quantative methods, we cid to explore this muny quantatively—g an Inter-nvenience sample, followed by a purposive suggted, the Bear culture exhibs and valu a greater sense of domant (but not necsarily domeerg) “thentic masculy” parison to other subcultur wh the gay muny (e.

PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS

Whereas mastream gay men often do not engage sired or preferred sexual behavrs bee of fears of rejectn or judgment (Kamski, Chapman, Hayn, & Own, 2004), those the more acceptg Bear muny reject the fears due to their beg ultimately “feme” nature (Hennen, 2005). G., uratn, fistg, voyrism, exhibnism) (Grov, Parsons, & Bimbi, 2010) to the active existence of the Bear muny and regnn of this subculture by the larger gay/bisexual male culture, more rearch is need to explore the gree to which the prevly mentned physil, behavral, and psychologil differenc actually exist.

15 STEREOTYP THAT LIM OUR PERCEPTNS OF GAY MEN

Consirg the likely prevalence of a Bear inty may be held (wh varyg tenaci) by about 14–22% of gay men, the rults provi addnal evince for the manift and latent heterogeney of gay and bisexual rults regardg body tras and partner selectn nfirm, for the first time a systematic manner, fdgs documented prev terview and ethnographic studi. A study that answers the rearch qutns would provi further evince to support the heterogeney hypothis: Not only is the mastream gay muny culturally heterogeneo, but so are the sexual health behavrs and problems wh last suggtn for future rearch would be to tt some of the theori generated by the current data. For stance, prr rearch has intified that gay men have UAI wh their ma partners as a way to foster and strengthen their mment to and satisfactn wh the relatnship (Davidovich, W, & Stroebe, 2006; Vroome, Stroebe, Sandfort, W, & Van Griensven, 2000; McLean et al., 1994; McNeal, 1997; Worth, Reid, & McMillan, 2002), as well as, to monstrate love, timacy, and tst for one another (Appleby, Miller, & Rothspan, 1999; Blais, 2006; Davidovich, W, & Stroebe, 2004; Vroome et al., 2000; McLean et al., 1994; McNeal, 1997; Worth et al., 2002) addn to practicg UAI wh their ma partners, some studi have intified a subgroup of gay men who also have UAI wh sual MSM partners (Chakravarty, Hoff, Neilands, & Darb, 2012; Gass, Hoff, Stephenson, & Sullivan, 2012; Mchell, Harvey, Champe, & Seal, 2012; Mchell & Petroll, 2012).

CHARACTERISTICS AND ALLOWED BEHAVRS OF GAY MALE UPL’ SEXUAL AGREEMENTS

For example, among gay upl who practice UAI, men who received HIV-specific social support om their ma partners and those who had higher levels of mment and value to their sexual agreements were ls likely to have had UAI wh a sual MSM partner (Darb, Chakravarty, Beougher, Neilands, & Hoff, 2011; Mchell et al., 2012; Mchell & Petroll, 2012).

ASPECTS OF GAY MALE COUPL’ SEXUAL AGREEMENTS VARY BY THEIR RELATNSHIP LENGTH

To better asss HIV risk among gay male upl, rearch has begun to exame the role that sexual agreements may have on gay men’s practice of UAI wh their ma and their sual MSM partners (Crawford, Rodn, Kippax, & Van Ven, 2001; Davidovich, W, & Stroebe, 2000; Gass et al., 2012; Gomez et al., 2012; Hoff & Beougher, 2010; Hoff, Beougher, Chakravarty, Darb, & Neilands, 2010; Hoff et al., 2009; Kippax, Crawford, Davis, Rodn, & Dowsett, 1993; Kippax et al., 1997; Mchell et al., 2012; Mchell, Harvey, Champe, Moskowz, & Seal, 2011; Mchell & Petroll, 2012; Prtage et al., 2006; Prtage et al., 2008; Wheldon & Pathak, 2009) the U. S., Europe and Atralia, sexual agreements appear to be mon among gay male upl (Crawford et al., 2001; Davidovich et al., 2000; Elford, Boldg, Maguire, & Sherr, 1999; Gass et al., 2012; Hoff & Beougher, 2010; Mchell et al., 2012; More-Get, Jeann, Dubois-Arber, & Spencer, 2000; Prtage et al., 2006; Prtage et al., 2008). One particular type of an open sexual agreement is lled “negotiated safety”, which allows HIV-negative seronrdant gay male upl to practice UAI wh their relatnship as long as both partner’s serostat rema HIV negative and both men practice safer sex wh sendary partners (Kippax et al., 1997).

RELATNSHIP CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVATNS BEHD AGREEMENTS AMONG GAY MALE COUPL: DIFFERENC BY AGREEMENT TYPE AND COUPLE SEROSTAT

Fdgs om the studi dite that between 48% and 98% of gay male upl formed a sexual agreement (Gass et al., 2012; Mchell et al., 2001; Prtage et al., 2006; Prtage et al., 2008), which clud upl wh closed monogamo sexual agreements or a variety of different open nonmonogamo sexual agreements (Adam, 2006; Bryant & Demian, 1994; Crawford et al., 2001; Hoff et al., 2009; LaSala, 2004a; 2004b; Parsons, Starks, DuBois, Grov, & Golub, 2011; Ramirez & Brown, 2010; Wagner, Remien, & Carballo-Dieguez, 2000; Wheldon & Pathak, 2009; Worth et al., 2002).