222052 Skin to Skin: Linguistic analysis of Barebacking MSM in Florida on Craigslist

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM

Candace Sibley, CRCS , Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Cristian Chandler , Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
     
BACKGROUND: Barebacking is often defined as intentional unprotected anal intercourse and connected to HIV/STI rates among MSM. This study was conducted in response to Carballo et al's (2009) request for operationalization of the term barebacking to promote innovation and scientific progress. This study defines and contextualizes barebacking constructs and co-occurring risk correlates for Men who have Sex with Men(MSM) living in urban areas in Florida with 15 or more HIV infected persons per 100,000 population.

METHODOLOGY: Discourse analysis was utilized through Atlas TI to group language according to risk using an ordinal scale (low, moderate, and high). One hundred-eighty six Craigslist casual encounters advertisements were selected from Tampa Bay (30), Orlando (58), Jacksonville (16), and Miami/Fort Lauderdale (82) between December 2009 and January 2010. Ads were selected using the search terms, “bareback,” “breed” and “raw sex” and were evaluated specifically for terminology regarding risk.

RESULTS: The qualitative report includes patterns of drug use, requests for anonymous sex, violent and group sex among barebacking Floridian MSM. Further, the report elucidates common descriptions of sexual identity and linguistic markers of bareback sex. The report displays linguistic trends among Florida's MSM and contextualizes patterns and definitions in regard to the risk behavior of this population.

CONCLUSION: This research exhibits how the language of a marginalized community can be utilized to show the production of HIV/STI risk, describe sexual identity and requests for pleasure. Broader implications from this research include the ability to include linguistic analysis in HIV/STI prevention among barebacking Floridian MSM.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to: 1.Understand the social construction and multiple definitions of bareback sex reflected in Craigslist personal advertisement listings. 2.Describe what dominant discursive trends emerge and if there are regional differences in bareback terminology in Floridian MSM. 3. Understand the dominant and competing discourses that inform researchers about barebacking Floridian MSM’s positions on HIV risk, sexual position, and masculinity. 4. Explain how use the results from linguistic analysis to comprehend the unique syndemic of barebacking MSM in Florida 5.Understand the broader implications of study findings to build culturally competent harm reduction interventions for this population.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am public health master's student who has academic and real world experience working with HIV+ and HIV at risk vulnerable populations. My research works to combine social science (sociology and anthropology) with public health perspectives to investigate vulnerable, marginalized population including Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and practice barebacking behaviors. Cristian Chandler and I collaborated on the data collection, and analysis for this project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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