McNally SP, Dowsett GW, Grierson JW; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. WePeC6128.
Columbia University, New York, United States
Background: The term MSM is used loosely for various categories of at-risk populations whose only shared characteristic is that they contain men who have sex with men. This term focuses on practices (sex acts) rather than sexual identities (gay man, queer), and has served to unify and simplify a more complex picture of diverse cultural forms of, and meanings in, same sex eroticism/attraction. In determining the relative contribution to HIV transmission in any particular place or region attributed to male-to-male sex acts, the precision and utility of the term MSM becomes crucial to assess. Methods: This paper reports on a four-country review of literature published in English and readily available in local languages from 1990 to 2002 on MSM in Asia. This review was funded by Family Health International. The four countries were: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Thailand. The literature was examined for findings on: sex acts (frequency and type); condom use; HIV and STI prevalence and incidence; sex partner selection (number, sex, relationship status); evidence of sexual networks or subcultures; experience of sex work (as worker or client); research site, comparability; sample and methodology; and scientific quality of evidence. Findings: The review concluded that: there was great inconsistency in findings on HIV/STI prevalence and incidence (where available); populations labelled MSM were often quite differently conceived, sampled and studied; comparisons of findings were very difficult to make and generalization to a single category MSM was often specious; comparisons of sex practices without cultural contextualization confounded potential understanding of different forms of HIV transmission in male-to-male sex; MSM masks more than it reveals about these populations. Conclusions: The term MSM would appear less useful than generally thought in understanding the varied forms of potential male-to-male sexual transmission of HIV. In both epidemiology and prevention science, particularly in Asia, MSM just does not work.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Asia
- Bangladesh
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- India
- Indonesia
- Male
- Prevalence
- Prostitution
- Research
- Safe Sex
- Sexual Partners
- Thailand
- epidemiology
- methods
- therapy
Other ID:
UI: 102284047
From Meeting Abstracts