Community Cleavages: Gay and Bisexual Men’s Perceptions of Gay and Mainstream Community Acceptance in the Post-AIDS,Post-Rights Era |
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| Authors: | Nathaniel M Lewis Greta R Bauer Todd A Coleman Soraya Blot Daniel Pugh Meredith Fraser |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Geography, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK;2. Epidemiology &3. Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada;4. Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance, Ontario, Canada;5. Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, London, Ontario, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Changes in gay and bisexual men’s connectedness to the gay community are related to the declining public visibility of HIV/AIDS and greater acceptance for homosexuality and bisexuality in mainstream society. Little work, however, has focused on perceived acceptance for subgroups within the gay community or broader society. Using interviews (n = 20) and a survey (n = 202) of gay and bisexual men in a mid-sized Canadian city, we find perceived hierarchies of acceptance for the various subgroups as well as an age effect wherein middle-aged men perceive the least acceptance for all groups. These differences are linked with the uneven impact of social, political, and institutional changes relevant to gay and bisexual men in Canada. |
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| Keywords: | gay community social inclusion mental health sexual health HIV/AIDS community development social acceptance homosexuality bisexuality |
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