Carlos Godoy and his research working group from the Annenberg School for Communication will present their paper on "The Interaction of Ethnic and Gay Identity for Black and Latino MSM" at the International Communication Conference in Boston on Monday May 30th at the panel called: "Media Matters: Policing Integration and Marginality: A Roundtable" sponsored by ICA's Ethnicity and Race in Communication division. The panel will meet on Monday May 30 from 9:00 to 10:15 in Adams at the Westin Waterfront Hotel.

Abstract:  The advent of new interactive media increases the availability of targeted interventions for high-risk populations including gay men of color. However, racial rebranding of health messages, although common, may exhibit different effects between, and within, racial groups. This research investigates the effect of ethnic and gay identity on risky sexual behavior and the efficacy of a racially-tailored HIV prevention intervention among Black and Latino MSM, aged 18-30 from the Los Angeles area (N = 302). For Black MSM, the 3-way interaction between ethnic exploration, ethnic commitment, and gay identity predicted risky sexual behavior at baseline. Furthermore, the intervention was more efficacious for Black MSM in ethnic identity crises, but this effect was only present for individuals with low gay identity. Ethnic and gay identity did not have an effect among Latino MSM. Future interventions for this high-risk population must account for different ethnic identity styles and levels of gay identification.