1 in 10 NYC teens report same-sex partner

NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Almost 10 percent of sexually active New York City teens report they had a same-sex partner, although many say they are straight, researchers say.

Preeti Pathela of New York City's department of health and mental hygiene and Julia A. Schillinger of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta used data from the 2005–2007 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, which included 3,805 male and 3,456 female adolescents who reported having sex.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found 9.3 percent of sexually active adolescents reported a same-sex partner, but 3.2 percent of active male and 3.2 percent active female adolescents report only same-sex behavior. Adolescents with both-sex partners reported a marked prevalence of dating violence and forced sex. Thirty-nine percent of only same- or both-sex partners self-identified as straight, the study says.

New York City teens with both-sex partners report a prevalence of dating violence and forced sex, the study authors say.

Male teens with both-sex partners report a higher prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, such as not using a condom, compared with male teens with only opposite-sex or only same-sex partners. Female teens with both-sex or only same-sex partners report a higher prevalence of risky behaviors than female adolescents with only opposite-sex partners, the study says.