Men 'on the down low' fear disclosure

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A study of 30 black New York City men who have sex with men and women found they feared the consequences of disclosing their bisexuality, researchers say.

Indiana University sexual health expert Brian Dodge says that some of the men feared that their bisexuality disclosure put them at risk for physical and emotional harm.

The U.S. media have focused too much on moral issues surrounding black bisexual men who do not disclose their same-sex behaviors to female lovers, otherwise known as men "on the down low," with this focus creating a stigma that interferes with effective public health strategies, Dodge said.

"The media and general public are obsessed with disclosure, but there is no evidence that disclosing leads to safer behaviors -- or, indeed, that not disclosing leads to riskier sexual behaviors," Dodge said in a statement. "What benefit do men have for disclosing their bisexuality in a society where positive support and affirming resources for bisexual men are all but non-existent, and negative stereotypes prevail?"

The researchers suggest that broader social awareness and acceptance of male bisexuality is a necessary component of HIV prevention efforts targeted at men who have sex with both men and women.

The findings are published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.