Abstract
This research investigated Risky Sexual Behaviors (RSB) among men with same sex partners, in reference to the increased number of new HIV infections within that population. Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) continue to suffer disproportionately high HIV infection rates, with this population accounting for the majority of new HIV infections, while making up only an estimated 2 percent of the population. Prominent themes were identified and described using a phenomenological perspective to contextualize the experiences of members of the study sample, as gathered from online self-reports and blogs to conduct qualitative research and using Grounded Theory processes to outline interrelated emergent components that form enmeshed schemas. Illicit drug use by MSM was situated within a cyclical relationship with risky sexual practices that facilitate HIV transmission. The study findings indicate that one inadequately recognized driver of RSB could involve the compelling primacy of seminal transaction within male same-sex sexuality. Behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns associated with Risky Sexual Behaviors emerged as transferable to other public health issues involving at-risk populations, such as chemical dependency, unhealthy lifestyle patterns as well as general sexual risk-taking. Sexual identity, body image, and social/subcultural constructions of masculinity emerged as primary themes within the study’s findings. A complex combination of factors contributes to RSB among men who have sex with men, including perceived sexual needs, pernicious effects of stigma, issues relating to cultural identity, fatalism, complacency, and use of substances as associated with sexual risk-taking. Recommendations include increased promotion of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, increased acknowledgement of ambivalence surrounding HIV prevention among MSM, and targeted educational approaches to minimize the conceptions associated with Risky Sexual Behaviors among males with same sex partners, with the collaborative efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations.