The Interplay between Stigma, Collective Efficacy, and Advocacy Communication among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Females

Abstract

Stigma and discrimination are primary drivers of health disparities among marginalized communities. Drawing on stigma management, minority stress model, and social cognitive theories, this article tests the interplay between dimensions of stigma, collective efficacy, and advocacy communication among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender females. Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in south India (N = 225), five distinct dimensions of stigma were identified using factor analysis: experienced stigma, self-stigma, felt normative stigma, and two new dimensions-HIV-related vicarious stigma and media stigma. Respondents reported highest levels of media stigma. While most of the dimensions of stigma were negatively associated with both collective efficacy and advocacy communication, collective efficacy mediated the relationship between stigma and advocacy. Implications for public health campaigns among MSM groups are discussed.

Stigma and health of Indian LGBT population: A systematic review.

“…Lack of proper administrative policies ostracize the already vulnerable community, (Chakrapani, Scheim, Newman, et al, 2021; Mondal et al, 2020), they are bullied, labeled, teased, and victimized at their workplace (Bowling et al, 2019). It is the structural stigma that branches off from social stigma and serves at the interpersonal level of homonegativity (Chettiar, 2015; Ganju & Saggurti, 2017; Jain, 2013; Rao et al, 2020; Satpathy, 2015; Thaker et al, 2018; Woodford, Chakrapani, Newman, et al, 2016).…”

“…A queer individual with internalized homophobia may try to hide their sexual orientation from one’s family, peers and colleagues may feel discomfort while being around other queer individuals, may use heterosexist stereotyping, refuse to acknowledge one’s same-sex partner in public, disliking people who have disclosed their sexual orientation, etc. (Mishra, 2020; Thaker et al, 2018). As a result, some homosexual individuals choose to conceal their sexual orientation and choose to marry the opposite-sex marriage to lessen their stress of being a part of the sexual minority (Xu et al, 2017).…”

Doing Critical Health Communication: Negotiating the Terrain of Transdisciplinary Collaboration

“…Others have also discussed the use of subversive (Denzin and Lincoln, 2018) or transgressive statistics. This is an important distinction since recently there has been an attempt to bring quantitative research or mixed methods within critical health communication research (e.g., Thaker et al, 2018Thaker et al, , 2019. In fact, critical scholars are generally good at drawing on and developing conceptual categories, many of which (e.g., "social capital, " or "structural violence") are now used or "applied" by social scientific scholars with the help of quantifiable indicators to facilitate application and testing in intervention planning.…”

‘We Are Helpless, Hopeless and Living in Despair’: Impact of COVID-19 on the Overall Health and Well-being, and Participation of the Transgender Community in India

“…Besides sex work, traditionally hijras also engage in performing badhais which are ritualistic acoustic music performances, work as laganwalis by dancing at weddings and childbirths and do chhalla which involves standing at road crossings or public transport stops and beg money from passer-by and commuters. Historically, transgender people in India have been treated as deviants and criminal outcasts and systemically denied education, employment opportunities and social welfare programs (Ganju & Saggurti, 2017;Shinde et al, 2009;Thaker et al, 2018). Therefore, most of the transgender people have little option but to resort to sex work or earn their livelihood as ritualistic singers or dancers at Indian auspicious occasions or even resort to begging.…”