Gamma Project Newsletter
The Gamma Project Newsletter is produced bi-annualy by
The Australian Bisexual Men's Association Incorporated.
Editor: Bill Palmer
April 2008 Edition
Contents
"From the Editors Desk" Then And Now
Bisexual Men: The Issues
Female Partners: The Issues
Conclusions



 



Home Page
Gamma Project ... australian bisexual men's association

 


From the Editor's Desk

Welcome to the April 2008 edition of the Gamma Project Newsletter. Gamma Project was
established in 1986 and our first newsletter was produced in 1987. When I wrote it, it never
occurred to me that I would still be writing them 21 years later. Like many others, I hoped that
a cure for HIV/AIDS coupled with an effective vaccine would render agencies like ours redundant.
The HIV virus has turned out to be one of the most challenging that science has had to
deal with and while we manage the disease it produces better than ever before, we do not
seem to be any closer to an absolute cure than we were 25 years ago when the virus was
first discovered.

It is for this reason that agencies that provide preventive education continue to exist. And
they are needed, despite our best efforts to persuade men to behave safely, there has been
an increase in the rate of HIV infection across the eastern seaboard of Australia.  Times
have changed and so has  behaviour for a range of reasons which need to be addressed.
This is not to say that this is easy to do, much of the change has encouraged individuals to
move away from the education agencies for information and services.

In this edition of the newsletter we examine some of the changes which provide us with
challenges which we must meet if we are to successfully deal with the rising rates of HIV
infection and maintain a relevant and effective approach to HIV/AIDS education.

The next edition of the Gamma Project Newsletter will appear at the end of October 2008

Bill Palmer
The Franklin Centre
1B, Hamilton Street,
Mont Albert.  Vic.
Australia 3127

Return to Contents Page

Now And Then


The bisexual men we counselled and assisted in 1986 presented with a range of issues
that ranged from guilt, depression, confusion and isolation. To a significant degree these
issues have not really changed although the number of men presenting with these
problems are fewer than they used to be. These issues persist despite a general societal
change in attitude towards the issue of homosexuality.

Back then there was a low level of acceptance of homosexual men and there were few 
resources and community based service available to these men. This has gradually
changed and there is now a well established gay community with access to non
judgemental medical, dental and other services. There are more social venues, many of
them happily mixed with heterosexual clients, and there has been a significant reduction
in the expression of homophobic thoughts and ideas.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the lot of bisexual men! The old attitude of
"wanting his cake and eating it too" is alive and well in our society and even some health
care providers continue to adopt this attitude. This is especially the case for married men,
people cannot understand why a man would marry if he had sexual feelings towards other
men. Back then there was little in the way of organised community based groups for these
men to access and this remains largely true today. Groups have developed but have
generally been short lived. In the articles that follow we will consider some of the issues
and why they have or have not changed.


Return to Contents Page


The Issues: Bisexual Men
 
Guilt And Fear Of Disclosure

I think that the proportion of men who express a feeling of guilt about their extramarital
activity with other men has changed very little. Not surprising really since most men
entered into marriage with the intention of remaining faithful to their wives. Even those
who were aware of a same sex attraction at the time of their marriage were generally
committed to a monogamous marriage. The fact that they cannot adhere to this
commitment enhances the guilt and may well be a precursor to depression.

Fear of disclosure has also changed very little over the past 22 years for this particular
group of men. They generally love their wives and want to maintain their marriages.
Regardless of how they make sexual contact, they place a significant emphasis on the
need for discretion. One change that we have observed is that more men do give thought
to disclosing to their wives, often this is seen as a way of alleviating guilt but it can also
be a genuine attempt to deal with a difficult issue honestly.

Isolation

While we still hear from bisexual men who feel isolated, this has lessened somewhat over
the last number of years. This reduction has been in large part to the internet. Men who
access the chat rooms will quickly find other bisexual men in that environment with
whom they can exchange ideas and to some extent normalise their feelings and
behaviours. Men in this situation really do need someone who can understand their
position and offer reinforcement and lifestyle management strategies. While in some
instances bisexual men get negative feedback from exclusively homosexual men in this
environment this kind of response is also diminishing with time. This is one of a number
of instances where I think the internet provides a very positive service. It is interesting to
note that while internet use has assisted men in metropolitan areas significantly it has had
less impact on men in rural areas.

Safe Sex Information

Clearly over the years the plethora of information regarding HIV/AIDS has impacted and,
even though the issue of HIV has receded in the general media, it is the case that few men
do not understand the mode of transmission of HIV. Back then we produced pamphlets
which we needed to find appropriate outlets for. These days we have safe sex information
appropriate to our target group posted on the internet. It is more convenient, there are no
concerns that a wife might find the pamphlet, and it can be reviewed as needed. And it is
used, our safe sex sites on the internet are accessed more frequently than any other part of
the website. Where things have not changed very much are in the area of other sexually
transmitted infections, knowledge levels have increased marginally but there is still
significant ignorance regarding the incidence and transmission of these infections.  This is
worrying at a time when diseases such as syphilis are increasing at an alarming rate.

Confusion

This is another parameter that has demonstrated little change over the life of the project.
Many men do not recognise a same sex attraction until they are married. Whether these
feelings have been repressed or are simply a late onset recognition of same sex attraction
is difficult to say, but some men report same sex attraction in their 50's and 60's. It is
hardly surprising that these men find an attraction to male to male sex disturbing and
confusing, particularly since most of them function quite adequately in a heterosexual
context.  These men are particularly likely to suffer from a sense of isolation since they
tend to believe that they are the only person ever to have such an experience.

Sexual Contact

Back in 1986 some 12% of callers in metropolitan areas and a slightly higher percentage
of callers in rural areas were seeking a means of making sexual contact with other men.
The decline in the number of metropolitan callers seeking this kind of information has
been dramatic in recent years. It is quite rare for us to receive calls from men in the
metropolitan area regarding venues where they might make sexual contact.

There are two reasons for this and both relate to the internet. A simple search on the
internet will show all of the gay bars, saunas and related venues in Melbourne and most
of these venues will host a web site so that men can judge the suitability of the venue to
their needs. The other option on the internet is the multitude of sites, most of them
internationally based, which offer chat facilities which can be quite specific to Melbourne
and it's suburbs. Here men can meet other gay and bisexual men for friendship or sex in a
way which is simple and discrete. A significant amount of sexual contact is achieved in
this way by both gay and bisexual men. While there are sites which list specific country
locations in Victoria these are less popular with men in rural communities probably
because the men fear exposure and "outing" within smaller communities.

While this method of achieving sexual contact is convenient and discrete it is not without
problems. Most significant is the issue of safety. Many profiles will state that the man is
"disease free" or "HIV negative and expect same" this quite often  means that they are
willing to participate in unprotected anal sex, a practice which makes a nonsense of these
claims. However many bisexual men, particularly those who are new to male to male sex
will believe these claims and may act accordingly. While I suspect that a minority of
bisexual men are as gullible as this I have counselled men who have participated in high
risk sex based on these kinds of assurances.

The other issue is one of trust, meeting others in a chat room on a consistent basis tends
to establish an ongoing relationship between the men involved. Where this leads to sex at
a later stage it can lead to a situation where an inappropriate degree of trust is placed on
the partner. The notion that "he is a mate and would tell me if he was positive" is alive
and well in such situations and insufficient discussion of sexual history and risk factors is
less likely to occur before sex is initiated.

While some education agencies have addressed the issue through safe sex messages
which are internet based it is difficult to gain access to the commercial sites where men
are most likely to need the message reinforced and, given that the web is an international
phenomenon there is little that can be done locally to compel the carriage of safe sex
messages.

Support Services and Face to face Counselling

The demand for services such our support group meetings has also declined somewhat
over the years. This is in part due to the willingness of those who require ongoing
counselling assistance to directly access mainstream psychological services, and is a
function of a greater acceptance of homosexuality in society as a whole and the existence
of a range of services which deal with the salient issues. Once again the internet is often
used productively to interact with others in similar situations and it offers the advantages
of anonymity and convenience.

Demand for face to face counselling has not declined to the same extent and there is still
significant demand for such services. Dealing with acute problems is best achieved
through this method and men generally recognise this and continue to access the service.
These days it is more likely that the wife will be aware of the situation and it is not
uncommon for wives to attend with their husbands for joint counselling sessions, a
situation which was quite rare in the early years of the project. Victoria when numbers are
falling in other states all suggest to me that the current State government in Victoria is simply
not addressing the issue of HIV in this State and it is time that it did.

 

Return to Contents Page



Female Partners

The proportion of women accessing the service has doubled since the project began. In
the early days the women we counselled were divided about equally between those who
were told of their partner's bisexuality and those who had discovered it themselves. Most
women who contact us now are likely to have been informed by their partner and this
does reflect a change in how men deal with the issue of disclosure. The issues for women
which include fidelity, trust, guilt and anger remain exactly the same as they have always
been.

 

Return to Contents Page



Conclusions

While there is a greater acceptance of homosexuality in society, this acceptance is less
evident in relation to bisexuality and for this reason certain core issues continue to be of
concern to bisexual men. The internet has the capacity to both assist men and to pose a
risk in relation to safe sexual behaviours and represents the greatest single change which
has affected the general well being and behaviour of bisexual men.

While the changes have led to some of our services becoming less accessed than they
were when the project began, the core function of the project remains relevant for these in
need of it's services and our participation in the internet has to be seen as an important
strategic development.

The saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is particularly relevant
in the field of HIV prevention education. The challenging part is to find ways to present
the prevention message!



Return to Contents Page