A comparative demographic and sexual profile of older homosexually active men

Our analysis draws a comparative profile of older homosexually active men. For an Australian national telephone survey (Project Male‐Call), 2,583 homosexually active men were interviewed. Questions about demographics, types of sexual partners, attachment to gay community, HIV/AIDS, and sexual practices were asked. About 10% (n = 256) of the Male‐Call men were over 49years. These older men were likely to live alone (52.7%), to be or have been married (62.9%), to have children (56.4%), and to have lived at their present address for more than five years (67.5%). Relatively few (12.4%) lived in gay areas, but a significant number (29.2%) lived in rural regions. They were generally less likely than younger men to have disclosed their sexual orientation (p < .00005). Although their attachment to gay community was quite strong, it was less than younger men's in terms of social attachment (p < .00001), cultural involvement (p < .001), and sexual involvement (p <. 00005). As a group, they were less likely to have been tested for HIV antibodies (p <. 0005). Older men had as many male and female sexual partners in the past six months as did younger men. They had a narrower range of anal (p < .00005) and oral/tactile (p < .001) homosexual practices, but differences in oral/tactile repertoire were not significant after controlling for other differences between younger and older men. There were no significant age differences in rates of condom use during anal intercourse with regular or casual male partners; however, the older men were more likely to have no anal intercourse with casual partners (p < .005). We concluded that older homosexually active men are fairly closely attached to gay community. They are sexually active, albeit with a less extensive range of anal practices than their younger counterparts. Although they are generally as safe in sexual conduct as younger men, education campaigns targeting older men would benefit from using a variety of metropolitan and rural, mainstream and gay media to improve safe sex understanding and encourage HIV antibody testing.