This article examines the
logics of self-identification among men who have same-sex desires and
behaviours and consider themselves to be straight. We draw from interviews
conducted in the USA with 100 straight-identified men who have same-sex desires
and 40 partners of such men.
Our data allow us to reject two misconceptions.
One is the idea that these men are actually gay or bisexual but refuse to
accept those identities. We argue instead that these men see themselves as
straight and therefore it is important to understand what specifically they
mean by that.
The second misconception links straight-identified men who have
same-sex desires and behaviours to the racialised discourse of the so-called down
low (or 'DL') in the USA. While the DL typically is depicted as involving
African American and Latino men, most of our participants are White.
Moving
beyond these misconceptions, we propose that health educators must acknowledge
flexibilities in the definition of heterosexuality and use an expanded
definition as a starting point to envision, together with these men, how to
more effectively engage them in HIV prevention and health promotion.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/7j26De
By: Carrillo H1, Hoffman A1.
- 1Department of Sociology (http://www.sociology.northwestern.edu/), Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA.
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