Understanding and Challenging Stigma toward ... - Pact Cambodia

Naming Stigma
toward MSM
When he grew older he lived in the same town as his family, but lived on his own.
His family suspected he might be MSM, but they didn’t bother him until he was
30, when they started to pressure him to get married. He agreed to the marriage
to get them off his back.
Soon after getting married, he found out that one of his previous male partners
had tested HIV positive, so he started to worry about his own status. What would
people think if he was HIV positive? Would they find out that he was MSM?
How would he be treated?
He went to the clinic to take an HIV test, but the counselor made him feel very
uncomfortable. He asked lots of questions about Kiri’s sex life. When Kiri
mentioned having had sex with men, the counselor said, “No, you are not one of
those! You seem different!” Kiri left the clinic without taking the test and told
himself he would never go back.
He started to worry about infecting his wife and his new male partner. He insisted
on using condoms with his wife, but she got angry and said he must be having
an affair. He was so worried about losing his new male partner that he had sex
with her without using a condom. He became very depressed and worried about
what he would do next.
2. Plenary Discussion:
What happened in the story? Why is Kiri behaving the way he is?
How does stigma affect disclosure to his partners and his use of health
services?
How does MSM stigma result in the continuing spread of HIV?
If we stigmatize MSM, does it stop them from having sex with men?
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