AEGiS-14IAC: Looking for a tall, dark, macho man ... Sexual-role behavior variations according to partner characteristics in Latino gay and bisexual men.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Looking for a tall, dark, macho man ... Sexual-role behavior variations according to partner characteristics in Latino gay and bisexual men.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. WePeE6542)

Carballo-Dieguez A, Dolezal C, Nieves-Rosa L, Diaz F, Decena C
HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York City, United States

BACKGROUND: Receptive anal sex (RAS) carries higher risk of HIV transmission for an uninfected individual than insertive anal sex (IAS). We sought to identify what motivates either behavior in a population of gay and bisexual men (GBM) who engage in anal sex and are inconsistent condoms users.

METHODS: Our non-random sample consisted of 294 adult GBM of Latin American ancestry living in New York City, US, who had agreed to participate in an HIV-prevention study -mean age: 32 (range 18-67), mean education: two years of college. We asked, "If compared to you your partner is taller, when it comes to oral sex, are you more likely to suck him or be sucked by him? And when it comes to anal sex, are you more likely to fuck him or be fucked by him?" We asked 22 such questions grouped in 11 pairs of opposites. Results were analyzed using McNemar tests.

RESULTS: Respondents reported that if their partners were more macho, more aggressive, taller, darker, more handsome, older, or had a bigger penis than them, respondents were more likely to take the RAS role. If the partner was more effeminate, less aggressive, shorter, of lighter skin color, less handsome, younger, or had a smaller penis, respondents were more likely to adopt IAS. Identical results were obtained for oral sex. Body weight, money, independence, and national background did not show significant differences. The proportion of individuals saying that none of the stated reasons would influence their behavior were 14% for IAS, 27% for RAS, 17 for insertive oral, and 21 for receptive oral sex.

CONCLUSIONS: The construct of masculintiy and its attributed characteristics as well as power issues exert an important influence on the type of sex role taken by GBM of Latin American descent. Insertive role appears related to devaluation of the sexual partner. Implications for HIV prevention are discussed.

Keywords: AEGIS, Bisexuality, Homosexuality, Male, Homosexuality, Sex Behavior, Hispanic Americans, Condoms, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Sexual Partners, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Data Collection, New York City, Male, Human, Adult

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