Key To High HIV Infection Rates In Massachusetts Gay, Bisexual Men Might Be In U Of Toronto Study

December 1, 2008 9:06 a.m. EST

Boston, MA (AHN) - A new University of Toronto study has found that gay men who don't feel attractive are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, which might explain why gay and bisexual men in Massachusetts continue to be hard hit by AIDs.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health released figures Sunday revealing that the state has had less success in battling AIDs among gay and bisexual men than it has in combating the disease among drug users and heterosexual men and women.

For instance, although gay and bisexual men only make up less than 10 percent of the population in MA, they accounted for half of the new HIV infections between 2004 and 2006.

The answer to why gay and bisexual men continue to have such high HIV infection rates might be contained in a recent study at the University of Toronto.

The U of Toronto study was among the first to examine the link between sex and mental health. It found that gay men who are physically less attractive are stigmatized, avoided and often rejected, which then can lead to depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse.

Assistant Professor of Sociology at U of T, Adam Isaiah Green, interviewed dozens of gay men in Toronto to find out 1) what qualities made some men more sexually desirable than others and 2) what the mental and physical health consequences of being undesirable might be.

"I found that young, white, middle-class men are considered much more sexually desirable than men who are racial minorities, over 40 and poor," Green said in a statement. "I also learned that for gay men, being considered sexually undesirable can have serious health consequences ranging from psychological issues to risky sexual behavior."

Green found that undesirable gay men often fail to engage in a safe-sex discussion and, in some cases, fail to use a condom when having sex with a more attractive partner.

The study, which found a correlation between sexual desirability and health, was published in Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials recommended supplying free condoms to gay and bisexual men, including those in high school, to combat HIV and AIDs.

Monday is World AIDs Day.