As reported here and here, a study performed in D.C. purports to show that 14% of gay men in the capital are HIV+. On one hand, the study shows just how far we still have to go to educate people in safer sex. On the other, I have my suspicions about the reliability of the study.
The study was performed “at [unidentified] open air venues, gyms, bars, restaurants, and clubs where men who have sex with men tend to frequent....” Nonetheless, since not all gay men are club kids, gym queens, or foodies, such a study will inevitably miss those of us who do not participate so much in mainstream gay culture. This is not to say that we are closet cases -- I happen to be anything but -- but rather that many of us have lives beyond the hot spots where the bold-faced names gather. Just because A implies B, it does not follow that B implies A.
For example, the statements concerning drug use seem out of sync with the gay male community in which I participate. Then again, as I have commented before, the gay male community that I inhabit and the one that attracts all of the attention seem to run in parallel more often than they intersect.
No comments:
Post a Comment