Date of Award
Fall 2011
Project Type
Thesis
Program or Major
Sociology
Degree Name
Master of Arts
First Advisor
Heather A Turner
Abstract
Unprotected anal intercourse among gay men remains high, despite the well-known fact that HIV/AIDS still disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). This qualitative, exploratory study seeks to understand the meanings and motivations of gay men's condom use and non-use. I observed three organizations that center on gay identities in the spring and fall of 2010 and in the spring of 2011. Additionally, using a semi-structured format, I interviewed 19 gay or bisexual men between the ages of 19 and 39. Condom non-use was high; 16 men reported not using a condom in their sexually active lifetime. Three different types of condom users were identified: the intentional user, the stepwise user, and the occasional user. Using a condom during anal intercourse, which public health institutions promote, was often contradictory to the meaning gay men held about the physical act.
Recommended Citation
Staley, Michael Jeffrey, "Sex, infection, and trust: Condom use among gay men and their perceptions of HIV" (2011). Master's Theses and Capstones. 152.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/152