A friend of QueerGam in San Francisco, Andrew Schultz, forwarded us a recent study that revealed some very interesting results -- that many gay asian men (GAM) don't tell doctors their sexuality. According to the study conducted by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, - that examined data from the National H.I.V. Behavioral Survey -, more than 450New York City men who had had sex with other men within the past year found that 39 percent had not disclosed their sexual orientation to their doctors, a problem particularly acute among Asian men,(and also black and hispanic men) the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced on Wednesday.
The New York segment of the study involved data from more than 450 men who were interviewed anonymously at gay bars and clubs, tested for H.I.V., and offered medical and social services as needed.
But let's talk about queer GAM. We'll talk about the others later.
The survey revealed that 47 percent of GAM who took part in the CDC's study have been found to have not told their doctors their sexuality. That's almost 50% of those who participated.
Is it true that GAM do not tell their doctors about their sexuality let alone their HIV status because their health care providers tend not to screen them routinely for H.I.V.? Or because many medical providers are not sufficiently trained in outreach and engagement with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people?
I am still thinking that doctors are not proactive enough or not encouraged enough to have conversations about sex with their patients. What do you think?
The survey found, for example, that men who disclosed their sexual activity with other men were twice as likely as men who did not to have been tested for H.I.V. (63 percent versus 36 percent). The survey also found a striking distinction: While 78 percent of the men who had sex with men and identified themselves as homosexual said they had discussed their sexuality with their doctors, none of the men who had sex with men but identified themselves as bisexual had told their doctors.
I think everyone should be forthcoming about their sexual behavior, but also urged doctors to ask about sexual history. The men on the DL or married men looking for gay sex (a real time, new culture that we gay men are being exposed to these days) and got some, should also tell their doctors about their sexual escapades and secret rendezvous.
What do you queers think about that? Email your thoughts to aban212@yahoo.com and we will publish your p.o.v. on QueerGasm.
The New York segment of the study involved data from more than 450 men who were interviewed anonymously at gay bars and clubs, tested for H.I.V., and offered medical and social services as needed.
But let's talk about queer GAM. We'll talk about the others later.
The survey revealed that 47 percent of GAM who took part in the CDC's study have been found to have not told their doctors their sexuality. That's almost 50% of those who participated.
Is it true that GAM do not tell their doctors about their sexuality let alone their HIV status because their health care providers tend not to screen them routinely for H.I.V.? Or because many medical providers are not sufficiently trained in outreach and engagement with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people?
I am still thinking that doctors are not proactive enough or not encouraged enough to have conversations about sex with their patients. What do you think?
The survey found, for example, that men who disclosed their sexual activity with other men were twice as likely as men who did not to have been tested for H.I.V. (63 percent versus 36 percent). The survey also found a striking distinction: While 78 percent of the men who had sex with men and identified themselves as homosexual said they had discussed their sexuality with their doctors, none of the men who had sex with men but identified themselves as bisexual had told their doctors.
I think everyone should be forthcoming about their sexual behavior, but also urged doctors to ask about sexual history. The men on the DL or married men looking for gay sex (a real time, new culture that we gay men are being exposed to these days) and got some, should also tell their doctors about their sexual escapades and secret rendezvous.
What do you queers think about that? Email your thoughts to aban212@yahoo.com and we will publish your p.o.v. on QueerGasm.