From personal survival to public health: community leadership by men who have sex with men in the response to HIV

Abstract

Community leadership and participation by gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM) have been central to the response to HIV since the beginning of the epidemic. Through a wide array of actions, engagement of MSM has been important in the protection of communities. The connection between personal and community health as drivers of health advocacy continue to be a powerful element. The passion and urgency brought by MSM communities have led to the targeting and expansion of HIV and AIDS research and programming, and have improved the synergy of health and human rights, sustainability, accountability, and health outcomes for all people affected by HIV. MSM are, however, frequently excluded from the evidence-based services that they helped to develop, despite them generally being the most effective actors in challenging environments. Without MSM community involvement, government-run health programmes might have little chance of effectively reaching communities or scaling up interventions to lessen, and ultimately end, the HIV pandemic.

Transactional sex and the challenges to safer sexual behaviors: a study among male sex workers in Chennai, India

“…Moreover, nearly half of participants did not know the HIV status of their most recent client, and 86.0% did not use a condom during the most recent sex with a client, considerably higher than reported in studies among MSW in other countries, including in Asian, Latin America and Europe (Ballester-Arnal, Gil-Llario, Salmeron-Sanchez, & Gimenez-Garcia, 2014). Both behaviors are demonstrated risk factors for HIV/ STI infection among MSM (S. Baral et al, 2009; Fan et al, 2012; Koblin et al, 2006; Trapence et al, 2012). In a study of 500 MSW living in Beijing, China, for example, Fan et al found that not knowing the HIV status of the most recent male partner was associated with HIV infection (Fan et al, 2012).…”

The immediate effect of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act on stigma, discrimination, and engagement on HIV prevention and treatment services in men who have sex with men in Nigeria: analysis of prospective data from the TRUST cohort

“…1,3 These health inequities have raised awareness among community groups, donors, public health practitioners, researchers, and national AIDS programmes of the urgent need to improve HIV prevention and treatment services for MSM across the continent. 4–6 However, alongside increased attention to the needs of MSM is a growing social and political pushback to sexual and gender minority rights in many low-income and middle-income countries.…”

Crowdsourcing designathon: a new model for multisectoral collaboration

“…Bringing community members from different sectors together as part of the event created a strong sense of community ownership. Community engagement has been championed as a key component of HIV campaigns 16. In addition, our data suggest that this type of approach can generate novel and efficient solutions.…”