142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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299651
Perceptions of Discrimination against Gay and Bisexual Men in South Carolina

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Matthew Page, PhD, MPP , Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
Nicole Chapman , Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
  
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Objective:  Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the US are disproportionately affected by HIV and other STDs.  Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of effective behavioral interventions for this population.  Previous research has linked internalized discrimination, or homophobia, with increased sexual risk behavior.  Efforts to increase tolerance and acceptance of MSM could be a viable alternative to behavioral interventions.  To date, very little has been reported on perceptions of discrimination among MSM in South Carolina or the southeastern US more broadly.  The study objective was to describe perceptions of discrimination among MSM in South Carolina.

Methods:  Potential survey respondents were recruited through Facebook advertisements directed at men whose profiles indicated they live in South Carolina.  Those clicking on advertisements were brought to an online survey site and screened on age, sex, MSM status, and state.  Qualifying respondents were asked several questions regarding perceptions of discrimination against MSM.

Results:  3,357 Facebook users clicked on advertisements, yielding 251 sufficiently completed surveys.  While 42.1% (93/221) of respondents think most people in their community feel homosexuality is a sign of personal failure, two-thirds (66.7%, 146/219) believe that most people think less of a man who is gay or bisexual.  One-third (33.3%, 71/213) think their city or town is a bad place for them to live as MSM.

Conclusions:  Perceptions of discrimination among MSM in South Carolina indicate efforts to increase tolerance and acceptance of these men in the state and the southeastern US could be an effective alternative to behavioral interventions.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe perceptions of discrimination against gay and bisexual men among these men in South Carolina.

Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), STDs/STI

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I earned my PhD in Epidemiology, completing a dissertation on the occurrence of HIV among socially marginalized populations, specifically gay and bisexual men and African American women. My research interests include the societal and structural determinants of infectious diseases, especially HIV and STDs. I have conducted or am currently conducting a number of studies similar in methodology to the one from which I will presenting results.
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.

Back to: 3275.0: Sexual and reproductive health issues in the US South