Policing Heteronormativity and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Young Adult Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Detroit Metro Area

Policing gender and sexuality can have enduring health implications for the well-being of young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Using data from a community-based sample of YMSM in the Detroit Metro Area (N = 364), we examined the prevalence of lifetime heteronormative policing by gender (e.g., punished/restricted for femininity) and sexuality (e.g., attempts to alter same-sex attractions). We examined the associations of heteronormative policing attempts and the number of condomless insertive and receptive anal intercourse partners, respectively. We also tested whether internalized homophobia moderated the association between sexuality policing and sexual risk. Multivariable models demonstrated that policing sexuality, but not gender, was associated with a greater number of partners in which participants engaged in condomless intercourse as the receptive partner. We observed no interaction between policing sexuality and internalized homophobia. Multilevel efforts are needed to reduce the contribution of heteronormative policing on YMSM’s HIV risk.