Sexuality and HIV Issues Among Older Gay Men (Phase 1)
The project is a partnership between the AIDS Committee of Toronto and Hassle Free Clinic, and represents the second stage in our work with gay men in mid-life.
The first stage of this project, which began two years ago, involved qualitative interviews with gay men aged 40-60 years old. In those initial interviews, participants indicated the need for a sexual health resource that reflected their experience, needs, and desires as men in mid-life.
Men told us that there was a lack of positive, sexual, healthy, images of men in mid-life in the community, and a lack of information related to the unique sexual health needs of mid-life men (e.g., changes in their erections as they age, changes in their sexual currency in the gay community which can have an impact on their self-concept and ability to practice safer sex, a movement to isolation as they age, and difficulty meeting men for sexual and social contact as they age).
For the second stage of the project, the researchers will interview a cross section of gay men aged 40-60. These interviews will enable the researchers to:
(a) update their understanding of the sexual health issues facing mid-life gay men in Toronto,
(b) confirm that a sexual health resource should be one piece of a strategy developed by ACT to support mid-life gay men in addressing their sexual health concerns, and
(c) identify possible issues and formats for use in the development of that resource.
Based on this research, ACT and Hassle Free plan to develop a sexual health resource targetted to gay men in mid-life.
For information about participating in this project, click here.
