10 percent "Straight" NYC Men indulge in Gay Sex

A recently conducted New York City survey has found that 1 out of every 10 men, who claim to have straight sexual orientation, happens to be having sex with other men. 70 percent of the 4193 men, covered by this survey, were married and most of them did not make use of condoms.

Only 22 percent of the men who identified themselves as ‘straight’ used condoms, compared to 55 percent of men who admitted to be gay.

Since people don’t readily admit to gay behavior, researchers are hoping that the findings of this study will make the doctors modify their ways of questioning patients about their sexual behavior.

"If you're just asking the question ‘Are you gay or straight,' the information you get may not be the information you need to know whether or not the patient has sexual behavior that puts them at risk," said Christine Laine, senior deputy editor of the ‘Annals of Internal Medicine’.

"Everyone talks about it, but it's the first time I've seen data on this issue," said Thomas J. Coates, a psychologist who specializes in sexual behavior at the University of California at Los Angeles. According to Coates the numbers were probably low estimates as he said, “It's probably above this, because it's hard to get people to admit to this kind of behavior."

Talking about the minor use of condoms amongst men claiming to be straight in their sexual orientation, Coates said, "It may sound simple to just use a condom, but if men are having sex on the sly, they may not want to carry condoms with them because their partners may find them."

The study reports, that Men who had sex with men exclusively but self-identified as heterosexual were more likely than their gay-identified counterparts to be married.

The survey concludes that to appropriately assess risk for HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases, the Medical providers cannot rely on patients' self-reported identities and their behavior must be inquired. The target of Public health prevention messages should be risky sexual activities rather than a person's sexual identity.