Sexual Health and Access to Care: Voices from Bisexual Latino Men in the Midwestern United States

Introduction: Relatively little is currently known about sexual health among bisexual Latino men, including the range of sexual behaviors that they engage in. This has important implications for potential interventions in terms of which behaviors may need to be targeted. Additionally, previous research on male bisexuality and its associations with HIV/STI transmission has not yet adequately described the complexity of Latino bisexual men's sexual experiences and associated risks, for themselves and their male and female partners. Methods: The project involved an interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers at Indiana University, the Marion County Health Department (Indianapolis), and a local community-based organization serving the needs of the growing Latino community in this area. Qualitative in-depth interviews and self-administered diagnostics for STI were used with a diverse sample of 25 Latino men who had sex with both men and women in the past six months. Results: Bisexual Latino men engage in a wide range of behaviors, both in terms of lifetime and recent sexual experiences. The most commonly reported sexual behaviors were masturbation, vaginal intercourse, and receiving oral sex from male and female partners. These men also reported problems with accessing sexual health care services, including language barriers and mistrust. Discussion: The study provides rich insights into the individual and sociocultural factors, as well as the structural factors impacting these men, that could be targeted for sexual health promotion efforts for Latino bisexual men.