Experiences of Harassment, Discrimination, and Physical Violence Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men
David M. Huebner, PhD, MPH,
Gregory M. Rebchook, PhD and
Susan M. Kegeles, PhD
The authors are with the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, AIDS Research Institute, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to David M. Huebner, PhD, MPH, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, 74 New Montgomery, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105 (e-mail: dhuebner{at}psg.ucsf.edu).
Objectives. We examined the 6-month cumulative incidence ofanti-gay harassment, discrimination, and violence among younggay/bisexual men and documented their associations with mentalhealth.
Methods. Gay/bisexual men from 3 cities in the southwesternUnited States completed self-administered questionnaires.
Results. Thirty-seven percent of men reported experiencing anti-gayverbal harassment in the previous 6 months; 11.2% reported discrimination,and 4.8% reported physical violence. Men were more likely toreport these experiences if they were younger, were more openin disclosing their sexual orientation to others, and were HIVpositive. Reports of mistreatment were associated with lowerself-esteem and increased suicidal ideation.
Conclusions. Absent policies preventing anti-gay mistreatment,empowerment and community-building programs are needed for younggay/bisexual men to both create safe social settings and helpthem cope with the psychological effects of these events.
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