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Background: Gay men carry a greater burden of disease in mental health. Connell (2005) hierarchy of masculinities and Courtenay (1998) assert that men who are not exclusively heterosexual adopt traditional masculine beliefs, and that these beliefs lead to poor health behaviours over time. This paper extends the concept of gendered health by exploring the interplay between masculinity construction and mental health help-seeking in gay men. It is proposed that gay men will construct emotional masculinity traditionally, and this will inhibit their mental health help-seeking.

Methods: This study applied a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. Nine gay men from Tasmania, Australia were sampled.

Results: Analysis of data lead to the development of a framework of orthodoxy, heterodoxy, and cacodoxy to understand the various ways in which gay men …