scholarly journals It’s in Me to Give: Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (14) ◽  
pp. 2234-2247
Author(s):  
Daniel Grace ◽  
Mark Gaspar ◽  
Benjamin Klassen ◽  
David Lessard ◽  
David J. Brennan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Donation ◽  
Sexual Citizenship ◽  
Repair Work ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Willingness To Donate ◽  
Aids Crisis ◽  
Biological Citizenship ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Hiv Negative

Blood donation policies governing men who have sex with men have shifted significantly over time in Canada—from an initial lifetime ban in the wake of the AIDS crisis to successive phases of time-based deferment requiring periods of sexual abstinence (5 years to 1 year to 3 months). We interviewed 39 HIV-negative gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men (GBM) in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal to understand their willingness to donate blood if eligible. Transcripts were coded following inductive thematic analysis. We found interrelated and competing expressions of biological and sexual citizenship. Most participants said they were “safe”/“low risk” and “willing” donors and would gain satisfaction and civic pride from donation. Conversely, a smaller group neither prioritized the collectivizing biological citizenship goals associated with expanding blood donation access nor saw this as part of sexual citizenship priorities. Considerable repair work is required by Canada’s blood operators to build trust with diverse GBM communities.

Sexual Health Interventions for HIV-Negative Sexual Minority Men

2019 ◽  
pp. 313-338
Author(s):  
Trevor A. Hart ◽  
Julia R. G. Vernon ◽  
Nathan Grant Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Hiv Acquisition ◽  
Hiv Negative

This chapter reviews sexual health HIV-prevention interventions for HIV-negative sexual minority men, focusing on interventions with empirical support with an emphasis on interventions with support from randomized controlled trials. Most interventions focus on condomless anal sex, with the goal of reducing HIV acquisition, although interventions vary in terms of format (individual, group, or online), target age and ethnicity, and outcomes. A much smaller literature exists for sexual health beyond preventing HIV. Research is needed to further test the efficacy and external validity of sexual health interventions, including with older men who have sex with men. Many of the interventions discussed in this chapter use techniques that are familiar to therapists who employ cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT). There is also a need for further work that uses the therapeutic modalities employed by most mental health professionals who practice within an empirically supported therapy orientation, such as CBT, interpersonal therapy, or behavioral therapies.

PEP as a potential antecedent to PrEP among an online sample of HIV-negative and unknown status cis- and transgender sexual minority men: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. John ◽  
K. Marie Sizemore ◽  
Ruben H. Jimenez ◽  
S. Scott Jones ◽  
Andrew E. Petroll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Club Drug Use ◽  
Unknown Status ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Club Drug ◽  
Hiv Negative

BACKGROUND HIV disproportionately affects sexual minority men (SMM) in the U.S. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine past HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) use and current pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among an online sample of cisgender and transgender men who have sex with men. METHODS In 2019, HIV-negative and unknown status SMM (n=63,015) were recruited via geosocial networking apps, social media, and other online venues to participate in a brief eligibility screening survey. Individuals were asked about past PEP and current PrEP use. We examined associations of demographics, socioeconomic indicators, recent club drug use, and current PrEP use on past PEP use using fully-adjusted logistic regression. RESULTS Prior PEP use was relatively uncommon (11.3%), with 2.66 times more men reporting current PrEP use (30.1%). Most (85.9%) past PEP users were current PrEP users, representing 32.2% of all current PrEP users. In multivariable analysis, current PrEP users had 20.1 times higher odds (95%CI: 18.6-21.6) of past PEP use compared to non-PrEP users. Other factors significantly (p<0.001) associated with past PEP use but with smaller effect sizes included: older age (>24 years old) compared to younger age (AOR=1.15); bisexual identity compared to gay (AOR=0.86); Latino, Black, and other/multiracial race/ethnicity compared to white, individually (AORs=1.37-1.52); having health insurance (AOR=0.80); and recent club drug use (AOR=1.19). CONCLUSIONS Prior PEP use was relatively uncommon in our online sample of SMM, but our findings indicate PEP could potentially be a gateway to PrEP. Advertising and prescribing PEP could support efforts to increase PrEP.

scholarly journals Adaptation of a Group-Based HIV RISK Reduction Intervention to a Mobile App for Young Sexual Minority Men

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Schnall ◽  
Lisa M. Kuhns ◽  
Marco A. Hidalgo ◽  
Dakota Powell ◽  
Jennie Thai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Intervention Content ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Panel Review

There is a dearth of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions for very young men who have sex with men (YMSM) ages 13–18 years, at high risk for HIV. We adapted the MyPEEPS intervention—an evidence-based, group-level intervention—to individual-level delivery by a mobile application. We used an expert panel review, in-depth interviews with YMSM (n = 40), and weekly meetings with the investigative team and the software development company to develop the mobile app. The expert panel recommended changes to the intervention in the following areas: (1) biomedical interventions, (2) salience of intervention content, (3) age group relevance, (4) technical components, and (5) stigma content. Interview findings reflected current areas of focus for the intervention and recommendations of the expert panel for new content. In regular meetings with the software development firm, guiding principles included development of dynamic content, while maintaining fidelity of the original curriculum and shortening intervention content for mobile delivery.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Challenges and Protective Factors Among MSM Living with HIV: An Integrative Review of the Literature Using an Intersectional Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Theodore Amato ◽  
Gilbert Émond
Keyword(s):  
Protective Factors ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Internalized Homophobia ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Intersecting Identities ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Sex With Men

Objective: Given the emerging data on intersecting identities involving men who have sex with men (MSM) with respect to various factors, there lies a need to include one’s human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status in this intersection, given the experience of stigmatization and inequalities. This integrative review covers psychosocial risk and protective factors experienced by MSM of HIV-positive status, while also considering other intersecting identities (e.g., ethnicity, older age). Method: Following a standardized search inquiry, 2139 records were identified and narrowed down to 24 peer reviewed articles. Results: Psychological and social protective factors such as positive mental health outcomes; lessened or resolved internalized homophobia; social networks in younger and older MSM, with a discussion on the contextually relevant impact that religion has among Black MSM. Some risk factors such as co-occurring stigmas, psychological distress, exposure to violence, and trauma are explained.Implications: These immediate findings highlight factors that contribute to resilient pathways among ethnic minorities, and of other intersections among sexual minority men. In order to mitigate risks, developing tailoredinterventions with a focus on co-occurring and syndemic stigmas is crucial, to help ensure the psychological and social well-being of diverse HIV-positive MSM. An adapted version to the minority stress model is thus presented.

scholarly journals “That’s Only for Women”: The Importance of Educating HIV-Positive Sexual Minority Men on HPV and High Resolution Anoscopy (HRA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 232595822110161
Author(s):  
Catherine Finneran ◽  
Jason Johnson Peretz ◽  
Danielle Blemur ◽  
Joel Palefsky ◽  
Lisa Flowers
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Male Health ◽  
Anorectal Cancer ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Prostate Health

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) experience disproportionately high burdens of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-associated anal cancers. Recent focus has shifted to anorectal cancer prevention through high-resolution anoscopy (HRA); however, little is known about sexual minority men’s perceptions, attitudes, or beliefs regarding HRA. We conducted 4 qualitative Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (n = 15) with sexual minority men, focusing on their beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of undergoing HRA. Participants discussed their experiences of HPV/HRA as influenced by both their gender and sexuality, including unawareness of HPV disease as a male health issue, challenges relating to female-oriented HPV/HRA language, conception of HPV/HRA as related to prostate health, and connecting their sexual behavior identification as “bottoms” to their need for HRA. As efforts to improve HRA knowledge, access, and uptake among sexual and gender minority communities increase, special attention should be paid to language and messaging choices around HRA.

scholarly journals Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for an Observational Cohort Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Egan ◽  
Sabina A Haberlen ◽  
Steven Meanley ◽  
Deanna Ware ◽  
Andre L Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Observational Cohort Study ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sex With Men

BACKGROUND With the graying of sexual and gender minority communities and the growing number of people aged ≥50 years living with HIV, it is increasingly important to understand resilience in the context of the psychosocial aspects of aging and aging well. OBJECTIVE This paper aims to describe the methods and sample for the <i>Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging Among Men Who Have Sex With Men</i> study<i>.</i> METHODS This observational cohort study was conducted within the Multisite AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and was designed to explore resiliencies to explain patterns of health and illness among middle-aged and older sexual minority men. To be eligible, a participant had to be an active participant in the MACS, be at least 40 years of age as of April 1, 2016, and report any sex with another man since enrollment in the MACS. RESULTS Eligible participants (N=1318) completed six biannual surveys between April 2016 and April 2019. The mean age of the sample was 59.6 years (range 40-91 years). The sample was mostly White, educated, gay-identified, and included both HIV-positive (656/1318, 49.77%) and HIV-negative (662/1318, 50.23%) men. CONCLUSIONS Understanding resiliencies in aging is a critical springboard for the development of more holistic public health theories and interventions that support healthy aging among older sexual minority men. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/25750

scholarly journals ‘I was just doing what a normal gay man would do, right?’: The biopolitics of substance use and the mental health of sexual minority men

2021 ◽  
pp. 136345932199675
Author(s):  
Mark Gaspar ◽  
Zack Marshall ◽  
Barry D. Adam ◽  
David J. Brennan ◽  
Joseph Cox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Health Aid ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Minority Men ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Alcohol And Other Drugs ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on 24 interviews conducted with gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men (GBM) living in Toronto, Canada, we examined how they are making sense of the relationship between their mental health and substance use. We draw from the literature on the biopolitics of substance use to document how GBM self-regulate and use alcohol and other drugs (AODC) as technologies of the self. Despite cultural understandings of substance use as integral to GBM communities and subjectivity, GBM can be ambivalent about their AODC. Participants discussed taking substances positively as a therapeutic mental health aid and negatively as being corrosive to their mental wellbeing. A fine line was communicated between substance use being self-productive or self-destructive. Some discussed having made ‘problematic’ or ‘unhealthy’ drug-taking decisions, while others presented themselves as self-controlled, responsible neoliberal actors doing ‘what a normal gay man would do’. This ambivalence is related to the polarizing binary community and scientific discourses on substances (i.e. addiction/healthy use, irrational/rational, uncontrolled/controlled). Our findings add to the critical drug literature by demonstrating how reifying and/or dismantling the coherency of such substance use binaries can serve as a biopolitical site for some GBM to construct their identities and demonstrate healthy, ‘responsible’ subjectivity.

scholarly journals Stepping Stones or Second Class Donors?: a qualitative analysis of gay, bisexual, and queer men’s perspectives on plasma donation policy in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Grace ◽  
Mark Gaspar ◽  
Benjamin Klassen ◽  
David Lessard ◽  
Praney Anand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Donor ◽  
Blood Donation ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Plasma Donation ◽  
Willingness To Donate ◽  
Successful Establishment ◽  
Plasma Donor ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
One Year ◽  
Donor Policies

Abstract Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are not eligible to donate blood or plasma in Canada if they have had sex with another man in the last 3 months. This time-based deferment has reduced since 2013; from an initial lifetime ban, to five-years, one-year, and now three-months. Our previous research revealed that gay, bisexual, queer, and other MSM (GBM) supported making blood donation policies gender-neutral and behaviour-based. In this analysis, we explored the willingness of Canadian GBM to donate plasma, even if they were not eligible to donate blood. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 39 HIV-negative GBM in Vancouver (n = 15), Toronto (n = 13), and Montreal (n = 11), recruited from a large respondent-driven sampling study called Engage. Men received some basic information on plasma donation prior to answering questions. Transcripts were coded in NVivo following inductive thematic analysis. Results Many GBM expressed a general willingness to donate plasma if they became eligible; like with whole blood donation, GBM conveyed a strong desire to help others in need. However, this willingness was complicated by the fact that most participants had limited knowledge of plasma donation and were unsure of its medical importance. Participants’ perspectives on a policy that enabled MSM to donate plasma varied, with some viewing this change as a “stepping stone” to a reformed blood donation policy and others regarding it as insufficient and constructing GBM as “second-class” donors. When discussing plasma, many men reflected on the legacy of blood donor policy-related discrimination. Our data reveal a significant plasma policy disjuncture—a gulf between the critical importance of plasma donation from the perspective of Canada’s blood operators and patients and the feelings of many GBM who understood this form of donation as less important. Conclusions Plasma donor policies must be considered in relation to MSM blood donation policies to understand how donor eligibility practices are made meaningful by GBM in the context of historical disenfranchisement. Successful establishment of a MSM plasma donor policy will require extensive education, explicit communication of how this new policy contributes to continued/stepwise reform of blood donor policies, and considerable reconciliation with diverse GBM communities.

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