Sex, gay men, and AIDS

About this book

An understanding of all aspects of sexual behaviour is essential to the development of effective approaches to HIV prevention. Sex, Gay Men and AIDS reports on the largest empirical study of male homosexual behaviour in the UK since the work of Schofield in the 1960s. It contains findings from Project SIGMA - which is the major British study of this kind in the AIDS field, funded by the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, the authors have developed important new theories about sexuality, which expose unhelpful stereotypes about male homosexuality and challenge outdated theories and assumptions about AIDS. Sex, Gay Men and AIDS presents the latest research on knowledge of HIV, attitudes to AIDS and the uptake of safer sex practices. During the research period, information from over 1000 gay and bisexual men was examined, and behavioural changes in response to HIV/AIDS was monitored over a four year period (1987-1991). Rather than translate the interviews into 'high' language, the immediacy and vitality of the men's responses is retained in robust 'street' vernacular. The result is a detailed study of the sexual lives of gay men in England and Wales, against the backdrop of the HIV epidemic, which will be a key reference text for many years.