What it Means To Be Gay

Issues/Strengths/Challenges What does it mean to be gay? "I never had any real attraction towards women, but I really knew that I was gay when puberty began. I felt an attraction toward the other boys and I was curious to find out what they were like." P.J. Smith (Personal communication, November 23, 1999). Men who call themselves gay are sexually attracted to and fall in love with other men. Their sexual feelings toward men …

…S, Biggar, R.J, Goedert, J.J. (1994). Declining age at HIV infection in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 86-93. Rotheram-Borus, M., Koopman, C., Haignere, C., et al. (1991). Reducing HIV sexual risk behaviors among runaway adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association, 62-69. Stall, R., Barrett, D., Bye, L., et al. (1992). A comparison of younger and older gay men's HIV risk-taking behaviors: the Communication Technologies Survey. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 76-90