Almost Half of MSM in Bangalore, India Also Have Sex With Women
By Mark Mascolini
07-Jun-2010
MSM who had sex only with men engaged in risky behavior more than MSM who also had sex with women
More than 40% of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Bangalore city also have sex with women. Among MSM married to women, almost all had unprotected vaginal intercourse with their wife. Bisexuality by men can spread HIV from infected MSM to uninfected female sex partners.
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka province in southwestern India, has a population of nearly 6 million. This cross-sectional survey conducted in 2006 recruited MSM seeking sex with men in public places and hammams—bathhouses where transgendered people sell sex to men.
Among 357 MSM studied, 146 (41%) reported having sex with a woman in the past year and 50 (14%) were currently married to a woman. Only 2 of 50 married men (4%) told their wives they had sex with men. Forty-nine married men reported unprotected vaginal sex with their wives, and condom use was very inconsistent with all male partners.