Understanding and Challenging Stigma toward ... - Pact Cambodia

Naming
Stigma
toward
MSM
Example Responses:
M6 MSM in the waiting line at the clinic
Patients are waiting in line at the clinic, sitting on a bench. The MSM patient has
been told to go to the back of the line and the doctor is seeing other patients,
who arrived after him. This is a form of discrimination. Health workers should treat
every patient equally. Other patients in the line seem to be scared to sit beside the
MSM patient.
M7 Neighbors stigmatizing family of MSM
Neighbors are pointing fingers and talking about a family who has an MSM son.
They may be blaming the family for raising their children in a bad way; or blaming
the ancestors of the family, saying they must have been MSM. This is an example
of stigma by association.
M8 Passengers on a bus are stigmatizing an MSM
An MSM is sitting all alone on a bus. Other passengers refuse to sit beside him,
even though bus is very crowded. Passengers are pointing fingers and gossiping
about him. He looks sad and lonely.
M9 MSM sitting all alone
The MSM is sitting all alone. No one
is talking to him. He looks sad,
depressed, and lonely. His family or the
community may be stigmatizing him,
but it may also be a case of self-stigma.
He may be isolating himself because of
the stigma and discrimination he has
faced. He is upset but he has accepted
the stigma (self-stigma).
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