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The Perth Gay Community Periodic Survey, conducted in October 2006 by Curtin’s WA Centre for Health Promotion Research (WACHPR), revealed important trends and differences in where gay men are meeting, the diversity of their friendship and peer groups, and the types of relationships they are having. A gradual increase in sex without condoms with casual partners was also observed. |
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“Of the 972 participants, 86 per cent identified themselves as gay, homosexual or queer, and it was found that over time there has been a shift in the type of community involvement with more men reporting that ‘some’ of their friends are gay as opposed to ‘most,’” Dr Brown said. “Gay men also now spent ‘some’ of their free time with gay men rather than ‘most.’ “Since the survey began, there has also been a decrease in the use of gay venues, like gay bars, saunas and beats, to find sexual partners. A continued increase in the use of the Internet (56.33 per cent) to find sexual partners was also observed, with the majority of these having found at least one partner online.” Survey results also showed significant changes related to the sexual practices of gay men. |
| x | “The proportion of men who had engaged in oral and anal intercourse with casual partners has significantly increased over time,” Dr Brown said. “Among the respondents who had sex with a casual partner six months prior to the survey, there has been a slow but steady increase over time in the proportion that had ‘sometimes not used a condom.’ Although gay men are still more likely to use a condom than their heterosexual peers, this trend is very concerning.” The Perth Gay Community Periodic Survey is a cross-sectional survey of gay and homosexually active men recruited at a range of gay community sites in Perth and is funded by the Department of Health, Western Australia.
Dr Brown emphasised the importance of the data being gathered by a large scale study like this. “The evidence collected from the Survey can be used by community members, educators, and policy makers, among others to develop programs aimed at sustaining and improving gay men’s sexual and social health,” Dr Brown said. “As this is a periodic survey done every two years, the evidence can also be used to track trends in sexual behaviours of gay men over time and compare them with similar trends in other Australian states and elsewhere.” |
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