Discrimination of Black MSM and its Effects on Community Stigma
Lauryn Smith1, Obie S. McNair, MPH2
1Mississippi INBRE Service Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
2My Brother’s Keeper Inc., Jackson, MS
Currently, there are around 1.1 million people living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States, with black southern men who have sex with men (MSM) disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Stigma serves as a serious psychosocial factor that can affect PLWH, in healthcare, social, professional, and other settings. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of stigma on rates of HIV infection in order to determine whether discrimination leads to a greater impact on Black MSM living with HIV. The Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI) is a survey-based study given to African-American MSM which features a variety of questions geared toward understanding psychosocial factors including stigma (discrimination) pertaining to race and sexual orientation. Certain questions pertaining to discrimination were selected for analysis, which includes descriptive statistics and correlation analysis in SPSS. Descriptive analysis of the data showed that 25% of participants reported being avoided because of their sexuality. Significant results from correlation analysis include a particularly strong positive correlation between discrimination at work due to either sexuality and/or perceived HIV status. Similar correlations were found in settings outside of the work environment. There was also a strong negative correlation between participant’s perceived sexuality and the amount of respect one received from others. From the results, it can be concluded that sexuality-based discrimination can lead to assumptions about HIV status, which can then lead to major life influences, such as losing a job. Future research should focus on community perceptions regarding sexual orientation and perceived HIV transmission.