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MSM vs Gay Sex |
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MSM vs Gay Sex
MSM abbreviation stands for “Men
Who Have Sex with Men”. It is sometimes also read
as “Men who Sleep with Men”.
The main difference between MSM vs gay
sex
practitioners is that the former may or may not identify themselves as
homosexual; moreover, MSM may be straight, bisexual, transsexual,
intersexual, transgendered, etc. Unlike homosexuality that can imply
serious relationship and
life-style, MSM concept is more of a behavior category than feelings.
Some of the examples of MSM include gay men who (openly) engage in gay
sex, men who do not self-identify as gays, but do have gay sex, gays for pay
((pornographic) actors, prostitutes and other types of sex
workers),
female-to-male-transsexuals who have gay sex, transgendered people who
practice gay sex with men, etc.
On the other hand, male-to-female transsexuals, FTMs who only have sex
with women; intersexuals not engaging in gay sex with men, and
male rape victims are not included in the group. Should it happen so
that a man participates in gay sex unknowingly (e.g., with a
preoperational transsexual, transgendered person or intersexual, to
name just a few), he cannot be referred to as an MSM, either.
Gay sex has always caused much controversy in every society to a lesser
or a greater degree throughout history. It is no wonder thus that
tabooing of the related practices has led to a number of risks
associated with gay sex practitioners.
One of the first issues regarding MSM group to cause concerns is the
high probability of contracting STDs, including HIV and Hepatitis. On
the whole, gay sex is believed to account for around 10% of cases with
HIV infections in the world. This can be explained by lack of
understanding, educational and medical support of gay sex
practitioners, insufficient amount of governmental programs directed at
study of the group, etc. A lot of men who sleep with men do not wish to
disclose their experience to doctors as they are embarrassed, afraid of
being judged, laughed at, or think they will encounter hostility. As a
result, they may end up having a number of physical
and/or
emotional disorders, ranging from anal cancer, syphilis and gonorrhea
to nervousness and depression.
Various studies show that there are practically no common
traits characteristic of men who have sex with men. This group
encompasses people of all ages, races and professions. However, facts
claim that a greater percentage of married men report
to have sex with men as compared to unmarried ones. At that,
MSM
who identify
themselves to be straight usually engage in unprotected sex more often
than gays but have fewer male sexual partners. Yet, naturally, it would
be wrong to conclude that fewer sexual interactions equals to lower gay sex risks.
Even if a man engages in gay sex only very rarely, his occasional
partners may still have had many unprotected contacts and be the
carriers of various (venereal) diseases, so safety should still retain
primary importance for MSM.
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