title: Understanding Gay Community Subcultures: Implications for HIV Prevention.
abstract: Gay and bisexual men (GBM) who participate in gay community subcultures have different profiles, including differing risk behaviors. We examined men's participation in gay community subcultures, and its association with risk behavior. In a cross-sectional survey, 849 GBM provided information about men in their personal networks. We devised measures of their participation in five subcultural groupings and explored their associations with sexual behavior. We identified five subcultural groupings: sexually adventurous; bear tribes; alternative queer; party scene; and sexually conservative. Higher scores on the sexually adventurous measure was associated with being older, having more gay friends, being HIV-positive, and being more sexually active. It was also independently associated with unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners (AOR 1.82; 95 % CI 1.20-2.76; p = 0.005). HIV prevention strategies need to account for the different subcultural groupings in which GBM participate. Measures of engagement with gay subcultures are useful indicators of differential rates of risk behavior and modes of participation in gay community life. Men in more sexually adventurous subcultures are more likely to engage in sexual risk behavior.
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. gprestage@kirby.unsw.edu.au.|Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia. gprestage@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Garrett
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prestage
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia. graham.brown@latrobe.edu.au.|Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. graham.brown@latrobe.edu.au.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. j.dewit@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Wit
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. bbavinton@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bavinton
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. CFairley@mshc.org.au.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fairley
authors.affiliation: Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. B.Maycock@curtin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maycock
authors.affiliation: Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men's Health Centre, Melbourne, Australia. Colin.Batrouney@vac.org.au.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Batrouney
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. pkeen@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Keen
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. idown@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Down
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. mhammoud@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hammoud
authors.affiliation: Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. izablotska@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Iryna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zablotska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Gay community; Gay men; Gay subcultures; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Networks; Risk behavior; Sexual adventurism; Sexual behavior; Sexuality; Unprotected anal intercourse