When Spreading HIV May Matter Most: The Unclassifiable Sexual Non-Identity Of Adolescent African American MSMW On Their Journey To Testing

Abstract

Recent studies have found that many young African American men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) do not identify as bisexual or non-heterosexual. The present study explored the mental journeys of twenty African American MSMW as they decided to undergo HIV testing. The rejection of sexual identity labels may contribute to the rising annual HIV infection rate among African American men who have sex with men (MSM) and MSMW. Furthermore, sexual identity ambivalence may lead to secretive sexual behavior and failure to disclose homosexual relations to female partners, behavior colloquially referred to as “down-low.” Greater understanding of the nuanced distinctions between sexual identity and behavior may help public health researchers address the needs of this racial and sexual minority that remains especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.