Researchers have begun exploring the importance of gay men’s subcultural identification and the impact on health by highlighting the significant distinctions among each subcultural group ( Gough & Flanders, 2009 Hennen, 2005 Lyons & Hosking, 2014 Manley, Levitt, & Mosher, 2007 Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013 Prestage et al., 2015 Whitesel & Shuman, 2013 Willoughby, Lai, Doty, Mackey, & Malik, 2008). Research has noted that a gay man’s social network influences health risk factors ( Peterson & Bakeman, 2006 Smith, Grierson, Wain, Pitts, & Pattison, 2006). Gay men are a vulnerable population that are at higher risk of experiencing increased levels of certain health issues like depression, sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV risk, and discrimination ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).
