Stigmatization of men who have sex with men in health care settings in East Africa is based more on perceived gender role-inappropriate mannerisms than having sex with men
Stigmatization of men who have sex with men in health care settings in East Africa is based more on perceived gender role-inappropriate mannerisms than having sex with men
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Background: Healthcare Workers may stigmatize and discriminate against Men who have Sex with Men in East Africa.Objective: To understand the predictors of abuse and discrimination of sexual minority men in healthcare settings by Healthcare workers in seven cities in Tanzania.Method: In total, 300 sexual minority men over the age of 18 were interviewed in 7 Tanzanian cities by trained local interviewers.
Abuse from others (physical, verbal, sexual, discrimination/humiliation), and abuse from Healthcare workers, was ascertained.Gender role mannerisms were self-rated by the respondent, and at the end of the interview, by the interviewer, on a Likert scale from very feminine to very masculine.Respondents also indicated whether they had revealed their homosexual behavior or had yale law school colors it exposed in the health consultation.
Results: Median age was 27.Verbal abuse and community discrimination were the most commonly reported forms of abuse.Eighty-four percent had visited a healthcare center with a sexually related complaint (usually a sexually transmitted infection); of these, 24% reported abuse or discrimination from from a healthcare worker.
Correlation between self-rated gender role mannerisms and interviewer-rated was r = 0.84.Regression analysis indicated that the degree of perceived gender role nonconformity was the major and significant predictor from Healthcare worker abuse: confirmation of homosexual behavior was non-significant.
Gender role nonconformity predicted 21% of the variance in health worker abuse.Conclusion: There is speculation that abuse of sexual minority men by Healthcare workers in public clinics is due to factors in addition to their sexual behavior as gay/bisexual, and that it is due to violating perceived gender roles.Data confirm that perceived feminine gender role is a significant predictor, of abuse in healthcare and other settings.
Common confusion between homosexual behavior and gender role norms may trigger discrimination, which may coq-clear 100 ubiquinol be as much due to violation of perceived gender roles as having sex with other men.