Sexual Health
Sexual health: disparities and resources
According to the World Health Organization, sexual health is a state
of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing in relation to
sexuality. Optimal sexual health requires the ability of having
pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination
and violence. However, evidence from Wisconsin indicates that the state's
LGBT youth may not have the same potential for positive sexual development
as their peers. For example, when compared to their heterosexual
counterparts:
LGBT youth are:
- nearly twice as likely not to use a condom during sexual
intercourse;
- nearly 3 times as likely to have experienced forced sex; and
- almost 4 times as likely to have their first sexual contact before
the age of 13.
LGBT adults in Wisconsin are also at risk for experiencing impaired
sexual health. For example, in a survey of men attending Milwaukee's
2005 Gay PrideFest, 13% of participants reported having an STD within the
last year, with syphilis being the most common infection. Sixty percent of
participants reported having had multiple male sexual partners over the last
year, and over half of these reported having five or more male partners.
National data indicate that while the STD infection rates remain
relatively low among lesbian women, rates of bacterial vaginosis and other
STDs are more common among bisexual women than heterosexual women.
The following resources are intended to address sexual health issues
and disparities affecting the LGBT community.
All external hyperlinks are provided for your information and for the
benefit of the general public. The Department of Health Services does
not testify to, sponsor, or endorse the accuracy of the information
provided on externally linked pages.
Hyperlinks marked with the 
icon indicate Wisconsin resources.
Brady East STD Clinic
Description: Sexually transmitted disease diagnosis and treatment,
information, and prevention tips
Resource availability: Milwaukee
Fact sheet
on men and HPV
Description: CDC fact sheet on HPV among men, including an overview,
statistics, and diagnosis and treatment information
Resource availability: Internet
General STD information
Description: The CDC's webpage about STDs, including a testing site
locator, statistics, and treatment guidelines
Resource availability: Internet
STD Checkup
Description: STD information resources for MSM and health care
providers serving MSM.
Resource availability: Internet
STDs in
Lesbian Populations
Description: Information on STDs in lesbian populations published by
the University of Washington, Seattle
Resource availability: Internet
Syphilis
among MSM
Description: CDC fact sheet about syphilis among men who have sex with
men; includes statistics, diagnosis and treatment information, and
prevention strategies
Resource availability: Internet
Viral
Hepatitis in MSM
Description: Information on viral hepatitis in gay men and MSM,
including definitions, symptoms, and statistics, published by the CDC (downloadable)
Resource availability: Internet
Wisconsin HIV/STD/Hepatitis
C Information and Referral Center
Description: Information and service finder for STD diagnosis and
treatment
Resource availability: Wisconsin
Last Revised: October 23, 2012 |
