Online sex-seeking behaviors of men who have sex with men in New York City.

The ongoing HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City and the increased use of Internet sexual social networking websites by MSM fosters a need to understand the characteristics and sex-related behaviors of this group. The authors conducted an online survey of 195 MSM who use sexual social networking websites in New York City. Demographic characteristics, sexual sensation seeking, and HIV optimism-skepticism were compared among participants reporting sex with and without condom use (safe sex and high-risk sex, respectively) with partners met online.

Community reactions to a syphilis prevention campaign for gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles County.

"Stop the Sores" (STS), a humor-based syphilis prevention campaign, was implemented in response to increasing syphilis prevalence among gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles County. In 2004, 564 men completed surveys measuring exposure and reactions to the campaign and syphilis testing. Mean age was 39, and men of color comprised a significant proportion of the sample (46.

Sexual compulsivity and sexual behaviors among gay and bisexual men and lesbian and bisexual women.

Within the existing body of research, the information pertaining to sexual compulsivity (SC) among women, both homo- and heterosexual, remains rather limited in comparison to men. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SC in a community sample of gay and bisexual men and lesbian and bisexual women and to identify differences in sexual practices based on classification as sexually compulsive within gender. Supporting previous research, the findings indicated that gay and bisexual men were significantly higher in SC when compared to lesbian and bisexual women.

Stigma, concealment and symptoms of depression as explanations for sexually transmitted infections among gay men.

This study examined how perceived sociocultural factors influenced the relationship between psychosocial variables and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay men. A cross-sectional brief street-intercept survey was administered to 594 gay men. Analyses examined how well stigma, concealment and symptoms of depression explained variation in participants' histories of STIs.

Community reactions to campaigns addressing crystal methamphetamine use among gay and bisexual men in New York City.

Crystal methamphetamine (aka "crystal meth") use with high-risk sex has become an emerging health problem for gay and bisexual men in New York City since the late 1990s. Public health campaigns were eventually developed to encourage gay and bisexual men to avoid or reconsider using crystal meth. Reactions to three campaigns were measured with a cross-sectional survey administered in 2004.

Exploring racial and ethnic differences in recreational drug use among gay and bisexual men in New York city and Los Angeles.

Reported rates of recreational drug use among gay and bisexual men are currently rising. Although there has been much empirical research documenting current trends in drug use among gay and bisexual men, little research has empirically contrasted differential rates across urban epicenters, while even less has addressed racial or ethnic variation (between and within cities). This knowledge is essential both for the development of effective culturally-sensitive health education prevention/services and for understanding drug use prevalence among urban epicenters.

Race, ethnicity, gender, and generational factors associated with the coming-out process among lesbian, and bisexual individuals.

Age at coming out among gay/lesbian/bisexual (GLB) persons and sexual debut with same-gendered partners has typically been investigated in samples that do not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of these communities. Addressing this limitation, data were collected from a diverse sample of men and women attending large-scale GLB community events in New York and Los Angeles in 2003 (N = 2,733). Compared to older cohorts, younger cohorts (18-24 year olds) of both men and women reported significantly earlier ages for sexual debut with same-gendered partners, and earlier ages for coming out to themselves and to others.

Assessing gay and bisexual men's outcome expectancies for sexual risk under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Alcohol and substance use plays a complex role in sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men. Data from 779 gay and bisexual men who reported sex with a casual partner in the past 3 months were collected in November 2002 at two large lesbian, gay, and bisexual community events in New York City. Participants reporting any unprotected anal receptive or insertive sex scored significantly higher in outcome expectancies for sexual risk taking while using drugs or alcohol, as did HIV-positive men and men with a higher rate of lifetime sexually transmitted infections.

Experiencing release: sex environments and escapism for HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

There are nonsexual reasons that may motivate people to seek out sexual activity with others. Some men who have sex with men may seek out sex environments to engage in sexual behavior. Among the nonsexual reasons that exist for men who have sex with men is a desire to escape from distressing thoughts and feelings.