To the Editor. —
The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has proclaimed that education about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) should start in early elementary school and must include information on heterosexual and homosexual relationships.1 However, to develop an age-appropriate and "informed" education program, more research is needed regarding the initiation of both heterosexual and homosexual behavior and concomitant social and psychological circumstances.Although there is some information in the literature concerning onset of heterosexual behavior among teenage boys and girls and the onset of intravenous drug abuse, there is less information on the initiation of male homosexual behavior.2 Remafedi3 indicates that the prevalence of homosexual activity to orgasm among adolescents ranges from 17% to 37% across four separate surveys of young male adults.Reviewing data collected by the Centers for Disease Control early in the AIDS epidemic provides relevant information on the initiation of homosexual
Haverkos HW, Bukoski WJ, Amsel Z. The Initiation of Male Homosexual Behavior. JAMA. 1989;262(4):501. doi:10.1001/jama.1989.03430040071024
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