Men who have sex with men and women in Bangalore, South India, and potential impact on the HIV epidemic

Abstract

Key messages highlighting the main features of the paper:1. Bisexual behaviour was common among this sample of men who seek sex with men in Bangalore.2. Men who reported having sex with both men and women (MSMW) reported lower rates of HIV-related sexual risk behaviours with male partners than men reporting sex with men only (MSMO).3. Inconsistent condom use by MSMW with both male and, in particular, female partners indicates a potential means of HIV transmission into the general population.

Contextual influences on condom use among men who have sex with men in India: subjectivities, practices and risks

“…Even though the HIV epidemic in the general population is perceived to be stabilizing and declining in the Southern states of India, evidenced by the decreasing trend in the HIV prevalence among antenatal women (a common proxy for HIV among the general population) Increasing evidence from quantitative (and mixed-methods) studies suggest that a substantial proportion of men who have sex with men may engage in high-risk sexual behaviours with both men and women (Brahmam et al 2008;Phillips et al 2010;Solomon et al 2010;Newman et al 2008a;Verma and Collumbien 2004). Thus, the risk of transmission of HIV infection is not only between men, but also between men who have sex with men and their female partners.…”

Informal confidential voting interviewing in a sexual risk assessment of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgenders (hijra) in Bangalore, India

“…This cross-sectional survey was carried out between May and August 2006 using a two-stage cluster sampling method described elsewhere 14. In brief, 85 clusters were sampled using time-location and conventional sampling of public cruising sites and ‘hammams’ (bath houses where ‘hijra’ (transgenders) sell sex to men), respectively.…”

Bisexuality

“…The majority of MSM in India are in fact behaviourally bisexual (see Phillips et al, 2010;Zahiruddin et al, 2011) and are married to women. However, whilst behavioural bisexuality may be common, identitybased bisexuality is not.…”

“…The two main groups that overlap with and make up the umbrella category of 'MSM' are [i] hijras, who have many diverse characteristics and sub-identities (Reddy, 2006) and [ii] male-bodied people who self-identify as gay, kothi (passive partner), panthi, (active partner) do-partha (both active and passive), or bisexual (Mishra and Sharma, 2007; see also Chakrapani et al, 2002;Khan, 2004;Phillips et al, 2010). Overall, therefore, the picture concerning sexual and gender diversity is rather more complex than that found in some other countries.…”