Homonegativity Experienced over the Life Course by Young Black Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (YB-GBMSM) Living with HIV in Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

Minority stress theory posits that homonegativity-whether experienced, anticipated, or internalized-adversely impacts health. We conducted qualitative interviews with 28 YB-GBMSM living with HIV to explore manifestations of homonegativity over the life course. Thematic analysis identified patterns in the ways that homonegativity was discussed at different points in participants' lives. Stifling, and sometimes traumatic, familial and religious environments led to experienced homonegativity early in life. These experiences led to anticipated and internalized homonegativity, which in turn shaped sexual identity formation processes in adolescence and into young adulthood. Ultimately, many participants distanced themselves from home environments, seeking and often finding extrafamilial support. Most participants eventually reached self-acceptance of both their sexuality and HIV status. In conclusion, experienced, anticipated and internalized homonegativity were pervasive as YB-GBMSM navigated family and religious environments over the life course. Future interventions should work with youth, families, and churches to prevent these harmful experiences. Keywords Sexual minority health • HIV/AIDS ResumenLa teoría del estrés de las minorías postula que la homonegatividad, ya sea experimentada, anticipada o internalizada, afecta negativamente a la salud. Realizamos entrevistas cualitativas con 28 YB-GBMSM que viven con el VIH para explorar las manifestaciones de homonegatividad a lo largo del curso de la vida. El análisis temático identificó patrones en las formas en que se discutió la homonegatividad en diferentes puntos de la vida de los participantes. Los ambientes sofocantes, a veces traumáticos, familiares y religiosos causaron a una homonegatividad experimentada en la vida temprana. Estas experiencias causaron a una homonegatividad interna e anticipada, que a su vez dio forma a los procesos de formación de la identidad sexual en la adolescencia y en la edad adulta temprana. En última instancia, muchos participantes se distanciaron de los entornos del hogar, buscando y con frecuencia encontrando apoyo extrafamiliar. La mayoría de los participantes finalmente llegaron a la autoaceptación de su sexualidad y su estado de VIH. En conclusión, la homonegatividad experimentada, anticipada e internalizada fue generalizada en los entornos familiares y religiosos de YB-GBMSM durante el curso de la vida. Las intervenciones futuras deberían trabajar con los jóvenes, las familias y las iglesias para prevenir estas experiencias dañinas.

Toward radical healing: A qualitative metasynthesis exploring oppression and liberation among Black queer people.

“…Black gay men in 12 of these studies personally experienced or witnessed discrimination, and it shaped their health and social behaviors in the context of HIV and HIV prevention. These participants described being put in harm’s way beginning in early childhood (Moore et al, 2019) and through older adulthood (Jones, 2014). Similar to many studies in our sample that outlined the systems and structures that challenged participants’ ability to experience emotional wellness, Black gay masculine-identified folx identified church, family, White supremacy, patriarchy, and racial capitalism as the source of their pain.…”

“…Across studies, Black gay men described being exposed to messages that their sexual identity is viewed by church as immoral (for example, “[When my parents found out I was gay] they took me out of the school activities. I was in church 24/7, … they also had me talk to an elder, who is an ‘ex-homosexual’ … once a week for … almost a year,” as quoted in Moore et al, 2019, p. 5269), by their family as unacceptable (for example, “When I told my brother that I was gay, he was like, ‘you a faggot,’” Tommy, as quoted in Jones, 2014, p. 72), by health care professionals in an essentializing and fetishizing manner (for example, “Even though they're health care professionals and not supposed to judge, some people still judge, and the fear of being judged by a doctor is … yea,” as quoted in Quinn, Bowleg, & Dickson-Gomez, 2019, p. 88), and by broader society as other and thus worthy of being discriminated against (for example, “There’s still a constant and ongoing struggle with being Black, gay, and male. There’s constant hatred toward us,” as quoted in Sun et al, 2019, p. 4).…”

Targeted Violence as a Risk Factor for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who have Sex with Men in the United States

“…Attributing negative events to internal, stable, or global causes has been linked to greater risk for adverse mental health outcomes, including PTSD, as such attributions reflect self-blame, long-lasting effects of the event, and effects that pervade all aspects of a person’s life (Elwood et al, 2009; Gray & Lombardo, 2004). Prior experiences of sexual prejudice-motivated violence, victimization, and/or other manifestations of sexuality-based stigma (such as rejection from family, friends, and others) can become internalized (Meyer, 2003; Moore et al, 2019), which may shape the attribution style of GBMSM and lead to a less adaptive, more negative style. GBMSM who face greater experiences of such stigma throughout the life course and from an earlier age may be particularly vulnerable to developing a negative attribution style; this requires future research.…”

Context, Types, and Consequences of Violence Across the Life Course: A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Transgender Women Living With HIV

“…With respect to temporally specific interventions, the study findings call for specific interventions in early childhood (e.g., family support interventions, school based-bullying reduction interventions). Familial rejection contributes to internalized stigma and sexual risk practices (Moore et al, 2019). Other studies have documented early experiences of familial rejection among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, in addition to pervasive school-based bullying and early experiences of sexual violence (Juárez-Chávez et al, 2021).…”

“…As such, a life course perspective has been previously applied to understand the association between interpersonal violence and poor social and health outcomes (Yoshihama et al, 2006), as well as HIV vulnerability (Ruark et al, 2016). Scholars have previously explored the impacts over the life course of sexual stigma on HIV vulnerability (Moore et al, 2019) and transphobic violence on depression (Nuttbrock et al, 2010(Nuttbrock et al, , 2012. However, a comprehensive understanding of experiences of violence across the life course for trans women living with HIV has not been described.…”