Latino men are at high risk for HIV, with an incidence of AIDS nearly three times that for non-Hispanic White men ( National Center for Health Statistics, 2004). This article reports an exploratory study that examines the relationships and sexual behavior of such men and uses their Latino male partners as informants. There is very little research on the topic of heterosexually identified men who have sex with men (MSM) in part because this population is typically hidden and motivated to remain anonymous.

In fact, almost one tenth of the men who identified as straight in a population-based sample in New York City reported having sexual intercourse with men only in the previous year ( Pathela et al., 2006). Identity, however, is not always consistent with behavior for example, some gay-identified men also have sex with women, and some heterosexually identified men also have sex with men ( Doll et al., 1992 Montgomery, Mokotoff, Gentry, & Blair, 2003 Ross, Essien, Williams, & Fernandez-Esquer, 2003). One aspect of self-concept is sexual orientation identity, which includes, among others, definitions of the self as heterosexual or straight, homosexual or gay, and bisexual. Conceptions of self can have consequences for health in general, and sexual risk in particular ( Courtenay, 2000 Goodyear, Newcomb, & Allison, 2000 Marín, Gómez, Tschann, & Gregorich, 1997).