ORIGINAL PAPER Changes in Gay Men’s Participation in Gay Community Life: Implications for HIV Surveillance and Research Iryna B. Zablotska • Martin Holt • Garrett Prestage Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 Abstract Successful antiretroviral treatments, achieve- ments in gay acceptance and human rights, and internet use have prompted changes in gay socialising which create potential challenges for engaging with gay men for HIV surveillance and research. We used data from the Austra- lian behavioural surveillance and explored (i) the rela- tionship between community engagement and HIV related practices, and (ii) time trends in gay men’s engagement with the gay community. Analyses were conducted using log-binomial regression and chi-square test for trend. The proportion of men who socialized mainly with gay men declined and the Internet use to connect with sex partners increased over time. Gay social engagement was associated with HIV positive serostatus, unprotected anal intercourse with regular partners and a high frequency of HIV/STI testing. Our findings indicate a shift in how gay men socialise and find partners. We discuss the challenges for ongoing engagement with gay men for behavioural sur- veillance and HIV research. Keywords Gay men Á HIV Á Gay community attachment Á Social engagement Á Internet Introduction The complex concept of ‘gay community’ has been at the centre of debate among historians of gay life [1–3] and social scientists alike [4, 5] for over 30 years. Indeed, in the early 1980s debates around the concept of gay community itself, its relation to issues of sexual identity and to the ways in which gay men (and women) organised themselves politically and socially were keenly contested through national conferences, in the gay media and within gay scholarly journals [6, 7]. The vital role of the gay commu- nity in HIV prevention and health promotion is undeniable [4, 8–10]. Within the larger population of men who have sex with men (MSM), those who identify as gay and actively socialise with other gay men constitute a platform for interaction between these individuals or groups of individ- uals and HIV prevention services [9]. Gay community organisations, venues and events have played a significant role as the access points for HIV behavioural surveillance, education and prevention [13]. Indeed, most HIV behav- ioural surveillance studies in developed countries, including Australasia, Europe and Northern America, have relied on community-based convenience sampling as the main approach to reach gay men and other MSM [11–14]. From the time of its emergence, HIV infection has been an overwhelming focus within gay communities [10, 15]. Three factors: fear of AIDS, stigma and discrimination, and the need for information and support [16] were mainly responsible for driving gay men together in the fight against HIV, despite any political and philosophical dif- ferences. For a long time the need to fight HIV was so overwhelming that other issues were positioned as less important. This has started to change with the recent suc- cesses in antiretroviral treatments and improved health outcomes for HIV positive people [17], as a consequence I. B. Zablotska (&) Á G. Prestage National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia e-mail: i.zablotska@unsw.edu.au M. Holt National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia 123 AIDS Behav DOI 10.1007/s10461-011-9919-9