AEGiS-BKREV: Bisexualities and AIDS: International Perspectives

Bisexualities and AIDS: International Perspectives

Taylor & Francis, 1900 Frost Road, Ste. 101, Bristol, PA 19007. 234p., bibliog., index. (Social Aspects of AIDS) ISBN 0-7484-0393-0, 0-7484-0394-9pbk. $75.00, $24.95pbk.
edited by Peter Aggleton. 1996. (Contributors: Peter Aggleton, Dan Allman, Mary Boulton, Carols F. Caceres, June Crawford, E. Antonio de Moya, Ray Fitzpatrick, Rafael Garcia, Miguel Gonzales Block, Carol L. Jenkins, Shivananda Khan, Susan Kippax, Ana Luisa Liguori, Johnny Madrigal, Antoine Messiah, Ted Myers, Suiming Pan, Richard G. Parker, Garrett Prestage, Jacobo Schifter, Michael L. Tan)

Male bisexuality is a very complex phenomenon that occurs throughout the world, crossing all ethnic and cultural barriers. A great many men will admit that they have bisexual behavior but will not admit that they identify as bisexual. Men who exhibit bisexual behavior consider themselves as normal and rarely will they admit that they may be "partially homosexual." Very few male bisexual relationships are considered symmetrical. That is, they do not have an equal amount of sex with women and men. The fact is "Rather less is known, however, about variations in sexual identity and erotic desire that may accompany these behavioural patterns." This book studies all aspects of bisexuality, "seeking to identify the roots of male bisexuality in cultural and historical variables as diverse as economic need, the social segregation of women and men, religious edict and cultural expectations about masculinity and virility." So, why should we study bisexuality in men? There has always been the statement that bisexuals are the bridge between gay and straight in the passing of the HIV virus. To understand more fully how the male bisexual thinks and experiences his sexual urges will certainly help in educating a large number of people in the world.

Each of the 13 chapters covers a different country outside of the United States: "Bisexual Men in Britain," "Bisexuality and HIV/AIDS in Canada," "Not Gay, Not Bisexual, but Polymorphously Sexually Active: Male Bisexuality and AIDS in Australia," "Bisexuality and AIDS: Results from French Quantitative Studies," "Bisexuality and HIV/AIDS in Mexico," "Bisexual Communities and Cultures in Costa Rica," "AIDS and the Enigma of Bisexuality in the Dominican Republic," "Male Bisexuality in Peru and the Prevention of AIDS," "Bisexuality and HIV/AIDS in Brazil," "Under the Blanket: Bisexualities and AIDS in India," "Male Homosexual Behaviour and HIV-Related Risk in China," "The Homosexual Context of Heterosexual Practice in Papua New Guinea," and "Silahis: Looking for the Missing Filipino Bisexual Male."

This an extremely important book for anyone doing AIDS research. The number of individuals who do not admit to being bisexual is great, yet these individuals many times do not practice safer sex with either their male or female partner. This group of people needs to be targeted with education but we first have to understand all of the social, religious, and other aspects of being bisexual. Highly recommended book for all public, academic, and medical libraries.

Keywords: Bisexuality, Social Aspects, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Peru, Brazil, India, China, Papua New Guinea, Philippines

970330
BK970644

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