title: Stability of Bisexual Behavior and Extent of Viral Bridging Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women.
abstract: Bisexual men experience significant health disparities likely related to biphobia. Biphobia presents via several preconceptions, including that bisexuality is transitory, and that bisexual men act as viral bridges between men who have sex with men and heterosexual populations. We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of gay and bisexual men, the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, to test these preconceptions. Men reporting both male and female sexual partners (MSMW) between 2002 and 2009 (n = 111) were classified as behaviorally bisexual. We assessed five hypotheses over two domains (transience of bisexual behavior and viral bridging). No evidence was found supporting the transitory nature of bisexuality. Trajectories of bisexual behavior were not transient over time. We found little evidence to support substantial viral bridging behavior. Notably, HIV-positive MSMW reported lower proportions of female partners than HIV-negative MSMW. Our results provide no empirical support for bisexual transience and scant support for viral bridging hypotheses. Our results provide key data showing that male bisexual behavior may be stable over long time periods and that behaviorally bisexual men's risk to female sexual partners may be lower than expected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, P.O. Box 7319, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. Mrf9@pitt.edu.|Center for LGBT Health Research, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Mrf9@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: M Reuel
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6191-9799
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.affiliation: Center for LGBT Health Research, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stall
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plankey
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoptaw
authors.affiliation: , Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Herrick
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Surkan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teplin
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, P.O. Box 7319, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.|Center for LGBT Health Research, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silvestre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Biphobia; Bisexuality; HIV/AIDS; Sexual orientation