Roger-Luc Chayer & Carle Jasmin (Image generated by AI – Gay Globe)
Often, prejudices spread faster than legitimate information. Their persistence is equally remarkable: despite the dissemination of reliable data, these misconceptions continue to persist. In the case of preconceived ideas about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men, there is a common belief that gay men are more frequently carriers than heterosexuals. But what is the reality?
Obviously, many sociological studies have been conducted worldwide over several years to determine whether gay men are more at risk of being carriers and transmitting STIs. These studies are crucial because treatment plans often need to target the populations most at risk.
University of Oxford Study
The 1980 study, « Comparative Prevalence Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Heterosexual and Homosexual Men » from the University of Oxford, reached interesting conclusions about the nature of acquired infections according to sexual orientation.
This study compared the prevalence rates of the most common sexually transmitted diseases between heterosexual and homosexual men, who respectively made 12,201 and 5,324 visits to an STI clinic over an 18-month period. Overall, homosexual men were significantly more likely than heterosexual men to have gonorrhea (30.31% vs. 19.83%), early syphilis (1.08% vs. 0.34%), and anal warts (2.90% vs. 0.26%), but less likely to have nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) (14.63% vs. 36.40%), genital herpes (0.93% vs. 3.65%), pubic lice (4.30% vs. 5.35%), scabies (0.42% vs. 0.76%), and genital warts (1.68% vs. 6.69%).
What Does Planned Parenthood Say?
In 2010, the American organization Planned Parenthood stated that heterosexuals had the same risk of contracting an STI as homosexuals. Anyone who has sex with another person is at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). A gay person’s risk of infection is no different from that of a heterosexual person. Whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in between, it’s important to practice safer sex. Compared to vaginal and anal intercourse, oral sex is less risky, but there is still a risk of infection.
The CDC Confirms
A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2021 explained: Factors associated with an increased vulnerability to acquiring STIs among men who have sex with men (MSM) include having multiple partners, anonymous partners, and concurrent partners. Recurrent syphilis infections are common and might be associated with HIV infection, substance use (e.g., methamphetamines), and multiple sex partners. Similarly, the incidence of gonorrhea has increased among MSM and may show greater antimicrobial resistance compared to other groups. Gonococcal infections among MSM have been associated with similar risk factors to syphilis, including multiple anonymous partners and substance use, particularly methamphetamines.
As research progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that unfortunately, STIs are more prevalent among gay men than heterosexuals, highlighting the importance of protection whenever possible.
STIs in Numbers
According to the Government of Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO), there has been a global increase in STIs, with more than one million STIs contracted each day. STIs are infections transmitted through the exchange of genital fluids, skin-to-skin contact, or contact with blood (e.g., sharing consumption materials). These STIs include: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2), and viral hepatitis B and C.
In 2020, the WHO estimated that there were 374 million new bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) worldwide. The spread of antimicrobial-resistant strains of gonorrhea, Mycoplasma genitalium, syphilis, congenital syphilis, and the emergence of infections like monkeypox (mpox) are global concerns.
Prevention remains the best protection.