A Health Department survey of 452 New York City gay men shows Black, Hispanic and Asian men are less likely to disclose their sexual orientation to their physicians than white men, it was announced on Wednesday.

The study revealed that 39 percent of homosexuals didn’t discuss with their doctors about their sexuality. An estimated 60% of African American men, 48% of Hispanic men, 47% of Asian men, and 19% of white men admitted to not having told their doctors which is their sexual orientation.

Over half of men under 28 were sincere with their physician, by comparison to 69% older. Health officials said the findings of the survey had worrying implications for H.I.V. prevention. For instance, it was discovered that men who revealed their sexual activity with other men were twice as likely as men who didn’t to have been tested for H.I.V. About 63% of men who are out have got an HIV test, by comparison to 36% of those who aren't. Dr. Elizabeth Begier, New York’s director of HIV epidemiology, said it is all about "a combination of people being less comfortable with the term gay or homosexual, and discrimination they perceive they will experience if they are open about their sexual experiences and attractions."

“People were not reluctant to talk once you brought it up," said Assistant Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Sweeney. They are unwilling to make the first move, but “once you bring up highly emotional issues,” men with homosexual orientation will talk about the subject, as long as “you’re not judgmental,” she said.