Understanding and Challenging Stigma toward ... - Pact Cambodia

Naming
Stigma
toward
MSM
Case Study D: Bona (Marriage)
Bona is 30 years old. He lives with his parents. He used to invite men to the house,
each time telling his mother that the man was just a “normal” man. One day his
sister became suspicious about all the men coming to the house. She looked
into his room and found him having sex with a man. She reported this to Bona’s
older brother. The brother wanted to stop this behavior so he forced Bona to get
married. Bona agreed and the wedding took place.
For one year Bona stayed with his wife, without seeing men. He wanted his sister to
forget what had happened. He was afraid she would tell his wife that he was
MSM. After one year he felt he could no longer wait, so he started having sex with
men. Even when he was with his wife, he was thinking about having sex with
men. His wife grew suspicious that he was having an affair, and she began to
check his clothes for evidence.
One day Bona learned that one of his former partners tested HIV positive. Bona
had never taken an HIV test, but he worried that he might have HIV. He tried to
persuade his wife to use a condom, saying they should not have babies until they
were older. She got angry and accused him of having sex with other women. She
said, “We should not use condoms. I want to have a baby.”
Case Study E: Chakra (Clinic)
Chakra is single and lives with his parents. He has a girlfriend, but he also has
sex with men. One day he went to the clinic because he had a rash around his
anus. When he explained this problem to the doctor, the doctor started to give
him funny looks. Instead of doing a proper examination, he began to ask him
many questions, such as “How did you get this STI? What kind of sex are you
having?” He looked at Chakra as if he was no longer a human being. Chakra
had trusted this doctor and believed he was tolerant and understanding, but he
now felt humiliated. He said he would never go back to that clinic again.
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