Machismo Puts Lives at Risk

There's a heartbreaking story in the New York Times about gay men in Mexico -- or as they insist, straight men who occasionally sleep or have just once slept with a man. These men are at risk for contracting HIV, and their difficulty identifying as gay makes it much harder for public health officials to educate, combat, and treat HIV infection and AIDS.

What's remarkable about this story is what it really shows about social influences. Many people who stigmatize homosexuality don't see the harm and often feel it's wrong anyway. But this story shows that making an unsafe environment for these men to identify as openly gay puts their lives at risk.