Persistence of racial differences in attitudes toward homosexuality in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Stigma may mediate some of the observed disparity in HIV infection rates between black and white men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods

We used data from the General Social Survey to describe race-specific trends in the US population's attitude toward homosexuality, reporting of male same-sex sexual behavior, and behaviors that might mediate the relationship between stigma and HIV transmission among MSM.

Results

The proportion of blacks who indicated that homosexuality was "always wrong" was 72.3% in 2008, largely unchanged since the 1970s. In contrast, among white respondents, this figure declined from 70.8% in 1973 to 51.6% in 2008 with most change occurring since the early 1990s. Participants who knew a gay person were less likely to have negative atti

SUBMITTER: Glick SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2974805 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature