Experiences of queer women and nonbinary individuals with mental health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on mental health. Queer women and nonbinary individuals disproportionately experience mental health issues when compared to heterosexuals, often facing challenges in receiving care from providers who are sensitive to their concerns and competent in their care. Objective: To report experience of queer women and nonbinary individuals in the United States with mental health care services before and during the pandemic. Methods: Data were gathered via a 43-item survey about experiences with mental health care services before and during the pandemic that was posted on four social media sites, and flyers hung in university student centers and businesses friendly to LGBTQ individuals. Queer women and nonbinary individuals between the ages of 18 and 75 were invited to participate. Descriptive statistics and Spearman?s correlations were used for data analysis. Results: There were 175 participants who met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. During the pandemic, more survey participants received mental health services compared with before the pandemic. How they received care significantly changed from before the pandemic (mostly in-person) to during the pandemic (mostly remote). Participants reported being seen significantly more frequently for mental health care during the pandemic compared to before. A higher percentage of participants received both psychotherapy and medication during the pandemic compared with before. They were generally satisfied with their mental health care;however, satisfaction was significantly higher during the pandemic. Conclusion: During the pandemic, compared with before, significantly more participants received mental health care and there were significantly more virtual mental health visits, more frequent mental health visits, more intensive therapies, and higher patient satisfaction. Telehealth care was perceived to be beneficial by most participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Vulnerabilidades das travestis e das mulheres trans no contexto pandêmico

Este artigo objetiva analisar os impactos da pandemia de Covid-19 na comunidade LGBTQIA+, em específico a situação das travestis e mulheres trans. Nessa direção, este texto privilegia a análise secundária em uma pesquisa direcionada à população nacional LGBTQIA+ e outra pesquisa direcionada às travestis e mulheres trans da cidade de São Paulo, bem como a revisão bibliográfica do tema proposto. Para tanto, nos apropriamos das categorias que perpassam e vão além da questão de gênero e incorporam a diversidade humana, contemplando as relações sociais de sexo, raça e classe social, bem como aquelas que determinam as mutações do mundo do trabalho no contexto do "capitalismo pandêmico”.Alternate :This article aims to analyze the impact of pandemic the new coronavirus of Covid-19 on the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly the situation of transvestites and transgender women. With this in mind, this text advocates a secondary analysis in one research aimed at the national LGBTQIA+ population and another research aimed at transvestites and transgender women in the city of São Paulo, as well as the bibliographical review of the proposed. To this end, we use the categories that permeate and go beyond gender and include human diversity, taking into account the social relationships of gender, race and social class, as well as those that determine the changes in the world of work in the context of "pandemic capitalism”.

Heteronormativity in health settings: Realities of LGBT youth's access to healthcare in South Africa

In South Africa, sexual and gender minorities experience a wide array of health inequities and face many difficulties in accessing health services. This is largely due to the general heteronormative-based health system that is not well equipped to meet the needs of those not conforming to "normal" forms of gender and sexuality. In addition, the heteronormative-based approach to LGBT health has rendered the unique needs and experiences of sexual and gender minorities invisible within mainstream health data, systems and policies. Increasing evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened health disparities and this is likely a consequence of existing challenges related to structural violence that persisted prior to its emergence. Given the current structure of South Africa's health system, this chapter examines structural violence in the context of healthcare and draws on in-depth interviews conducted with 12 LGBT students at a university in South Africa. The findings highlight the importance of raising awareness on the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity, applying an intersectional lens to the health system to address health inequities and gearing healthcare programs to provide services for all. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

An exploratory study of the social and emotional impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ adolescents living in rural communities

This study examined the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on 16 LGBTQ+ individuals 16 -18 years of age in rural Washington. Data were collected using semi structured virtual interviews, an Experience Questionnaire (EQ) and the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children - Edition 3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3). A few major themes emerged from the data: changes in relationships, negative psychological impacts, resiliency, and challenges such as barriers, tensions, and routine changes. Participants found COVID-19 restrictions created barriers to accessing social outlets such as extracurricular activities, LGBTQ+ community center, and so on, as well as engaging with resources for mental and physical health. Participants reported that navigating the significant changes in routines due to school closings and social distancing measures negatively impacted their mental health. Online school, increased home responsibilities, lack of structure or routine, and pressure to maintain grades were the main stressors found to contribute to a decline in mental health. Tensions related to having differing opinions from family members were often triggered or exacerbated by increased proximity with family, due to being stuck at home. Tensions also included experiences of homophobia, transphobia, and racism. These tensions contributed to lower mental health, as many participants felt "trapped" in their own home and unable to reveal parts of their identity. Participants reported that COVID-19 restrictions also impacted their relationships positively in some ways. Some participants found that COVID-19 restrictions allowed them to get out of negative relationships, identify healthy or positive friendships, and be more intentional in their friendships. Although most participants experienced negative psychological impacts on their mental health, many were also able to identify areas of resiliency and improvement. Participants identified new methods for coping, found new and innovative ways to engage with support networks, and found that increased time alone allowed for self-improvement and unprecedented identity exploration. Results of the study add to the limited research currently available about the impact COVID-19 restrictions had on LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas and provide critical information for professionals who work with school-aged LGBTQ+ populations, especially those living in rural communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Community Support Organizations in Gay Neighborhoods: Assessing Engagement During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Volunteerism, grassroots activism, and mutual aid have been critical to the advancement of rights and opportunities for LGBTQ+ people. These activities are institutionally anchored within supportive organizations embedded in LGBTQ+ communities. But these supportive organizations can be stressed by external crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, limiting the capacity for providing routine services. This article provides a typology of community support organizations-including healthcare providers, business improvement districts, neighborhood planning organizations, and social groups and clubs- to better understand how non-governmental organizations and non-profit entities provide services not traditionally provided by government agencies for LGBTQ+ people. We characterize how community support organizations continued to provide critical services to the LGBTQ+ community-consistent with the missions and aims of these organizations-while also providing services and information related to health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. The article concludes with takeaway messages that synthesize the functions and services of community support organizations and explain how various types of supportive organizations in gay neighborhoods responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Seeing rainbows through the storms of a health condition: Making space for LGBTQ+ young people to have their identity acknowledged.

LGBTQ+ youth accessing healthcare settings manage the 'storms' of health conditions (e.g. pain, fatigue, social isolation, etc.) while navigating emerging identity exploration and understandings in settings which may have historically overlooked or disaffirmed these identities. The launch of National Health Service Rainbow Badges across the paediatric division of an inner-city hospital provided a context for staff to begin thinking about their practice, development needs and dilemmas in working with LGBTQ+ youth. Through a programme of activity that included staff training, surveys, focus groups and youth engagement, we gained insight into current practice in supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families. This paper presents our findings, ideas for responding to challenges, and areas for future development, including implications in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Queer Politics of a Pandemic: LGBTQ + People's Conceptions of COVID-19's Politicization.

Introduction: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) people have historically been at the center of contentious political debates in the United States. The pandemic's divisive politicization has created societal stress in both hindering mitigation efforts and exacerbating social marginalization. Research has examined relatively privileged groups' COVID beliefs; however, explorations are needed into ideological processes among those marginalized by COVID, such as LGBTQ+ people, to provide a holistic framework of queer politics. Methods: Data come from in-depth interviews conducted with 43 LGBTQ+ people collected between October 2020 and January 2021. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from a larger survey on pandemic experiences. Results: Through the "underdog" framework," LGBTQ+ people held strong convictions to science-informed political beliefs, which informed their critiques of inadequate government leadership. Participants also engaged in ideological resistance to harmful individualistic rhetoric through an emphasis on collectivism. The divisive politicization of the pandemic shaped numerous social stressors that LGBTQ+ people adapted to using various strategies to maintain their mental health. Conclusions: Participants viewed American individualism and Christian nationalism as a public health threat that led to resistance to health and safety measures putting other people at risk. Findings support the underdog theory, with LGBTQ+ people elevating evidence-based science and disadvantaged groups' wellbeing by emphasizing social empathy as a collective good that supports community health. Policy Implications: Findings can inform policies and community programming that promotes equity across all social identities through the depoliticization of public health and centering LGBTQ+ people's capacity for resistance and resilience.

Changes in Mental Health and Well-Being Are Associated With Living Arrangements With Parents During COVID-19 Among Sexual Minority Young Persons in the U.S.

Sexual minority young persons may be at risk for compounding mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic due to their existing vulnerabilities for psychological inequities. Indeed, recent research has documented that sexual minority young persons are experiencing compounding psychiatric effects associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, researchers and practitioners hypothesized that sexual minority youth and young adults may experience unique hardships related to their sexual and gender identities and familial conflict as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and living arrangement changes with their parents and families. This study aims to investigate whether there are changes in sexual minority (and non-sexual minority) young adults' (SMYAs) mental health and wellbeing among those living with and living without their parents before and after the start of COVID-19. Among a cross-sectional sample of SMYAs (n=294; Mage=22 years; age range=18-26) and non-SMYAs (n=874; Mage=22 years; age range=18-26) defined by whether they were living with or living without their parents before and after the start of COVID-19, we retrospectively analyzed changes in psychological distress and wellbeing. SMYAs who returned to their parents' homes during post-onset of COVID-19 reported greater mental distress and lower wellbeing, followed by those who were living with their parents both before and after the start of COVID-19. Patterns were not consistent among non-SMYAs, and lower magnitudes of change were seen. There is a significant public health need for mental health services and family education resources for supporting SMYAs in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.

LGBTQ College student health and wellbeing at the onset of the pandemic: additional evidence and lessons learned from COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has killed more than six million people and disrupted health care systems globally. In the United States alone, more than one million people have died from COVID-19 infections. At the start of the pandemic, nearly all aspects of our lives paused to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many institutions of higher education transitioned to remote learning and enacted social distancing measures. This study examined the health needs and vulnerabilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) college students at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. METHODS: We fielded a rapid-response online survey between April and June of 2020. We recruited 578 LGBTQ-identifying college students aged 18 years and older by reaching out to LGBTQ-serving organizations on 254 college campuses and via targeted social media advertising. RESULTS: Approximately 40% of LGBTQ college students surveyed were dissatisfied with life at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and almost all (90%) were concerned that COVID-19 would threaten their mental health. Moreover, about 40% of LGBTQ college students reported unmet mental health needs, and 28% were worried about seeking care during the pandemic because of their LGBTQ identity. One out of four LGBTQ college students had to go back in the closet because of the pandemic, and approximately 40% were concerned about their finances or personal safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these adverse outcomes were prominent among younger students, Hispanic/Latinx students, and students with unsupportive families or colleges. CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds novel findings to the large body of research demonstrating that LGBTQ college students experienced distress and elevated mental health needs early in the pandemic. Future research should examine the long-term consequences of the pandemic among LGBTQ and other minoritized college students. Public health policymakers, health care providers, and college and university officials should provide LGBTQ students affirming emotional supports and services to ensure their success as the COVID-19 pandemic transitions to endemic.

Generalized stress and sleep hygiene explain the relationship between sexual/gender identity and sleep quality

IntroductionTypically, LGBTQ + people sleep more poorly than their cisgender heterosexual (cishet) counterparts. However, there is a lack of literature investigating the impact of different lifestyle/psychosocial factors, outside of minority stress, on the negative relationship between being a sexual/gender identity minority and sleep quality. The current study aims to help fill critical gaps in the literature by looking at the effects generalized stress, COVID-19-related stress, social support, and sleep hygiene have on this relationship.MethodsTwo hundred and seventy-three participants (74 LGBTQ+;199 cishet), recruited online, completed a series of questionnaires assessing sleep quality, sleep hygiene, generalized stress, minority stress, COVID-19-related stress, and social support.ResultsAnalyses showed that LGBTQ + participants reported worse sleep quality, higher levels of generalized stress and COVID-19 stress, and smaller social networks than their cishet peers. Generalized stress fully mediated the relationship between sexual/gender identity and sleep while sleep hygiene partially mediated the relationship between generalized stress and sleep quality. Social support and COVID-19-related stress did not moderate the relationship between generalized stress and sleep.ConclusionWorse sleep quality in LGBTQ + than cishet adults is explained by differences in generalized stress and sleep hygiene. Stress management and sleep hygiene interventions may help prevent the negative associations between being LGBTQ + and poor sleep quality.

Privates: Theorizing Private Space in Trans Care

By "space," I mean a physical or digital, real or imagined, virtual and material environment in which social relations—individual or collective—can take place. Private property in the form of the home and land ownership—also a core element of American capitalist colonialist dream—continued to define legal claims to land that furthered policing, racial segregation, cisheteropatriarchal marriage, and other state violence. [...]community publics presume designers can produce environmentally-determined "community," Third, liberal publics are accessible to all—in a fictional world where everyone is equal. Relatedly, when nineteenth century, WASP, upper-class policies, laws, and norms deemed sex a private matter, gay men were forced to create their own counterpublics for their sexual rendezvous.

Queering Diasporic Desi Solidarity: South Asian Activism in US and UK Multiracial Social Movements

This article explores the linkages between queerness, racialization, activism, and community care in the South Asian diaspora. It examines activism, organizing, and social movement work practiced by queer diasporic South Asians in the UK and the United States. By analyzing the South Asian activist relationship to, and solidarity and partnership with, Black liberation activism, this article conceptualizes a framing of queer South Asian diasporic solidarity. This solidarity is framed through contrasting articulations of joint struggle, allyship, and kinship in queer communities. To articulate this struggle, the article contrasts histories of South Asian racialization, politicization, and queerness in the UK and the United States, and synthesizes first-person activist accounts of modern-day queer South Asian activists in the diaspora. Finally, it argues that queer feminist South Asian activists in both countries are employing a model of queered solidarity with Black activists and Black liberation, though in differing forms in each country, that centers queer intimacies and anti-patriarchal modes of organizing for liberation across queer communities of color.

Is This Ballroom a Bathhouse? The Promise and Peril of Coming Together

This essay examines queer responses to the first wave of the HIV/AIDS epidemic alongside public health practices at a recent ASTR conference held during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors focus especially on the period between the identification of the HIV virus in 1983 and the first availability of protease inhibitors in 1996. Within this period, queer practices of care in the face of government neglect engaged with performance, and in retrospect were themselves a form of performance theory that literalized performance studies' fixation on liveness and mortality. As the authors revisit archives, including public health videos, memoirs, congressional hearings, and queer criticism from the 1980s and '90s, they reconsider the work of Cindy Patton, David Román, Douglas Crimp, Eric Michaels, Gary Fisher, Herbert Blau, and Reza Abdoh in the elaboration of performance as vital to the collective project of public health.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Individuals in Moldova: A Mixed Methods Analysis.

Research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for LGBTQ+ people is limited, particularly in eastern Europe. This mixed methods study explored the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic on the mental and physical wellbeing of LGBTQ+ individuals in Moldova. From June to the end of July 2022, 86 surveys and 12 interviews were completed by self-identified LGBTQ+ adults in Moldova. Survey data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and interviews were coded and analyzed using the grounded theory methodology. The two data sets were interpreted concurrently to identify emergent themes. Overall, data suggest LGBTQ+ people experienced both negative and positive effects on their mental wellbeing due to the pandemic. Participants expressed feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression, and an inability to be their authentic selves. Conversely, participants had more capacity to explore their identities and they demonstrated social support within the LGBTQ+ community. Regarding physical impacts, there were interruptions to transgender medical care and concerns about housing affordability. Findings highlight the unique impacts of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ people and stress the importance of further research in this area and policies and plans to address the needs of LGBTQ+ people in response to the pandemic and future health crises.

A randomized trial of acceptance-based behavioral therapy to improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ persons: Study protocol.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures limited social interactions as an effective and protective intervention for all. For many, however, this social isolation exacerbated mental health symptoms. People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) were already at elevated risk of anxiety and depression, relative to cisgender and heterosexual populations, and pandemic-related social isolation likely heightened these disparities. In our prior work with sexual and gender minorities, we developed and established feasibility and acceptability of a novel acceptance-based behavioral therapy (ABBT) intervention for HIV treatment. ABBT showed promise in improving social support and reducing mental health symptoms. In the current study, we investigate the efficacy of ABBT, compared to a treatment-as-usual control condition, in a full-scale randomized controlled trial to improve social support for LGBTQ+ persons living with anxiety and depression. METHODS: Two hundred forty LGBTQ+ adults with anxiety and/or depressive symptoms will be recruited and equally randomized to receive: (a) the ABBT intervention, consisting of two 30-40 min sessions plus treatment-as-usual (TAU), or (b) TAU only. Primary outcomes are interviewer-assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes are self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms. Experiential avoidance and social support are hypothesized mediators and presence of an anxiety and/or depressive disorder is a hypothesized moderator. CONCLUSIONS: ABBT represents a novel, identify-affirming real-world approach to promoting social support as a means of improving mental health among individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. This study will contribute actionable data establishing the impact, mediational mechanisms, and effect modifiers of ABBT. CLINICALTRIALS: govregistration: NCT05540067.

Editorial Introduction

Teacher preparation programs must begin addressing the challenges these laws present to P-12 schools. [...]in this article, the author discusses a qualitative research study that examined southern gay male teachers' beliefs about the intersectionality of sexuality, gender identity, and pedagogy in secondary classrooms. The project's embrace and criticism are expressive of the juxtaposition When Diversity Isn't the Point: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors in the Classroom Kaitlin Jackson : This article looks past the gifted classics of children's literature to explore the incredible opportunity that is missed all too often: an opportunity to intentionally choose books in which diversity is not the point but showcase much-needed representation. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observations, pláticas, document analyses, and literature on race and space and racism in higher education, I argue that the racially hostile campus environment experienced by MMAX students at their respective university manifests itself as a form of educational-environmental racism. Under the Next Gen- eration Science Standards, middle school students are expected to model EarthMoon-Sun motions to explain Moon phases, eclipses, and seasons (NGSS Lead States, 2013).

Mental health among LGBTQ+ communities in the context of COVID-19

Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality have long been known to be elevated among LGBTQ+ communities and it was expected that the COVID-19 pandemic would deepen systemic injustices and inequities in mental health outcomes. However, it remains difficult to document inequities as surveillance systems do not typically capture LGBTQ+-inclusive data necessary to study the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ population health. This chapter reports on two studies designed to address this gap. The COVID-19 Impacts Study (CIS) documented the early mental health and social impacts of COVID-19 among sexual and gender minority adults, as well as adults with HIV, during the first round of shut-downs and initial economic disruptions. Subsequently, the Youth and Young Adults COVID-19 Study (YYA) measured the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health outcomes, testing/vaccination behaviors, and stigmatization experiences of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) young people. Several recommendations are discussed-including mandated collection of data on sexual orientation and gender identity in all surveillance systems, policy solutions to better address access and cost barriers, and deep and meaningful engagement that empowers communities. © 2023 The authors.

Pengetahuan HIV/AIDS dan Faktor Keterlibatan dalam Hubungan Romantik serta Ketertarikan Seks Sesama Jantina : Kajian Kes dalam kalangan Mahasiswa Gay

Kajian ini bertujuan meneroka pengetahuan mahasiswa tentang risiko jangkitan HIV/AIDS, faktor keterlibatan dalam hubungan romantik dan ketertarikan seks sesama jantina. Masih kurang kajian yang memberi tumpuan kepada amalan hubungan romantik dan ketertarikan seks sesama jantina serta kesedaran mahasiswa tentang HIV/AIDS impak daripada tingkah laku seks berisiko ini. Banyak kajian terdahulu lebih menumpu kepada faktor keterlibatan dalam hubungan romantik dan ketertarikan seks sesama jantina tanpa mengaitkannya dengan kesedaran mahasiswa gay terhadap jangkitan HIV. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kajian kes dan direkabentuk bersesuaian kaedah kajian kualitatif. Seramai empat informan dalam kalangan mahasiswa Institusi Pengajian Tinggi di Malaysia yang membuat pengakuan identiti gay telah terlibat dalam kajian ini. Pemilihan informan adalah menggunakan teknik Persampelan Snow Ball. Pengumpulan data telah dijalankan secara atas talian dengan menggunakan medium Google Meet. Semua informan ditemubual dalam talian secara konferen video. Data temu bual dianalisis menggunakan analisis tematik. Hasil analisis menunjukkan terdapat empat faktor risiko keterlibatan mahasiswa dalam hubungan romantik dan tingkah laku seksual sesama jantina iaitu (i) pengalaman menjadi mangsa gangguan seksual semasa kecil, (ii) faktor naluri semulajadi, (iii) pengaruh rakan/komuniti berisiko gay dan (iv) pengaruh negatif daripada media sosial dan internet. Informan juga mempunyai pengetahuan asas tentang risiko jangkitan HIV. Walau bagaimanapun, kesemua informan percaya tingkah laku mereka mempunyai risiko rendah dan tidak mudah untuk dijangkiti HIV. Salah faham tentang risiko jangkitan HIV bagi seks tidak selamat dan seks luar tabi' dipercayai mendorong amalan hubungan seks sesama jantina dilakukan tanpa rasa takut dan menurunnya keprihatinan kepada seks selamat dalam kalangan mahasiswa gay. Kajian mencadangkan salah faham tentang risiko jangkitan HIV sebagai faktor baharu penyebab amalan seks sesama jantina yang berterusan dalam kalangan informan yang dikaji. Intervensi perlu dibentuk bersesuaian faktor risiko hubungan romantik dan tingkah laku seksual sesama jantina agar ia dapat dibendung daripada menular dalam kalangan mahasiswa gay.Alternate :This study aims to explore the knowledge of HIV/AIDS infection risk and the factors that contribute to same-sex romantic relationship involvement and same-sex sexual attractions among university students. Less studies have been done focusing on same-sex romantic relationships and same-sex sexual attraction among self-identified gay university students and their awareness of the HIV/AIDS impact due to risky sexual behaviour. Many previous studies were found to focus only on gay students' romantic relationships and samesex sexual attraction involvement factors without relating these factors with their awareness of HIV infection. This study uses a case study approach and is designed following qualitative research methods. Four students who self-identified as gay were selected as informants. Snow Ball Sampling is used as the informants' selection technique. Data collection was conducted online using the Google Meet platform. All informants were interviewed online via video conference. The thematic analysis has been used to analyse the interview data. The study analysis demonstrated four risk factors conduce to a same-sex romantic relationship and samesex sexual behaviours among gay students: (i) sexual abuse experienced during childhood;(ii) same-sex sexual attraction as an instinct factor;(iii) gay friends/community influenced and (iv) internet and social media negative influence. All informants are identified to have basic HIV risk infection knowledge. However, those in a same-sex relationship believe same-sex romantic relationships and same-sex sexual practices have a low risk of HIV infection. The misunderstanding of HIV infection in same-sex sexual practices and unsafe sex is believed to contribute to a consistent no fear of same-sex sexual practices and less concern towards safe sex among ay students. This study suggests a misunderstanding of HIV infection as the new factor contributing to continuous same-sex sexual practices among studied informants. Intervention needs to be developed tailored to the same-sex romantic relationship and same-sex sexual attraction risk factors to curb the spread among gay students.