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Some men engage in sexual acts with other men only because they are in an environment where there are no women, such as prison or (in some instances) the army. Some MSM are married to women and have families, and occasionally engage in sex with other men (secretly or not), while others identify as ‘gay’ and engage in a lifestyle that reflects what it is they think it means to be ‘gay’. Something that all MSM have in common is that they are more at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, so it is vital that all MSM have access to healthcare and sexual health resources. Also, many men who have sex with other men do not identify with the terms ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’, so, it’s important to not use these labels if it would exclude them from gaining access to sexual health resources. A man doesn’t have to be homosexual to engage in a homosexual act.
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What all MSM have in common is a certain behaviour, and not necessarily a sexual orientation. MSM can be gay, bisexual and pansexual, but they can also be heterosexual men who engage in sexual acts with other men for one reason or another. It’s a broad term to describe a very diverse group of men. Many people assume that men who have sex with men (MSM) are all gay men, but this isn’t true. MSM stands for ‘men who have sex with men’, and it doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘gay’.