Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 20;15(11):e0242788. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242788. eCollection 2020.
Asian-born gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) who are newly arrived in Australia are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV than Australian-born gbMSM. We used a social constructionist framework to explore HIV knowledge and prevention strategies used by newly-arrived Asian-born gbMSM. Twenty four Asian-born gbMSM, aged 20-34 years, attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, who arrived in Australia in the preceding five years, participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Participants described hiding their sexual identities in their country of origin, particularly from family members, due to fear of judgement and discrimination resulting from exposure to sexual identity and HIV related stigma in their countries of origin, although some were open to friends. Despite feeling more sexual freedom and acceptance in Australia, many were still not forthcoming with their sexual identity due to internalised feelings of stigma and shame. Exposure to stigma in their country of origin led many to report anxiety around HIV testing in Australia due to a fear of testing positive. Some described experiencing racism and lack of acceptance in the gay community in Australia, particularly on dating apps. Fear of discrimination and judgement about their sexual identity can have a significant impact on Asian-born gbMSM living in Australia, particularly in terms of social connectedness. Additionally, HIV-related stigma can contribute to anxieties around HIV testing. Our data highlights the potential discrimination Asian-born gbMSM face in Australia, which has implications for social connectedness, particularly with regard to LGBTQI communities and HIV testing practices. Future studies should determine effective strategies to reduce sexual identity and HIV-related stigma in newly-arrived Asian-born gbMSM.
在澳大利亚新抵达的亚洲出生的男同性恋者、双性恋者和其他与男性发生性关系的男性（gbMSM）比澳大利亚出生的 gbMSM 更有可能感染艾滋病毒。我们使用社会建构主义框架来探讨新抵达的亚洲出生的 gbMSM 使用的艾滋病毒知识和预防策略。24 名年龄在 20-34 岁之间的亚洲出生的 gbMSM，在过去五年内抵达澳大利亚，在墨尔本性健康中心接受治疗，他们参加了半结构化的面对面访谈。访谈进行了录音、逐字记录并进行了主题分析。参与者描述了在原籍国隐藏自己的性身份，特别是对家人隐瞒，因为担心因性身份和原籍国与艾滋病毒相关的耻辱而受到评判和歧视，尽管有些人对朋友是开放的。尽管在澳大利亚感到更加自由和接受，但由于内化的耻辱感和羞耻感，许多人仍然没有公开自己的性身份。由于原籍国的耻辱感，许多人报告说在澳大利亚进行艾滋病毒检测时感到焦虑，因为担心检测呈阳性。一些人描述在澳大利亚的同性恋社区中经历了种族主义和不被接受，特别是在约会应用程序上。对性身份的歧视和评判的恐惧可能对在澳大利亚生活的亚洲出生的 gbMSM 产生重大影响，特别是在社交联系方面。此外，与艾滋病毒相关的耻辱感可能导致对艾滋病毒检测的焦虑。我们的数据突出了亚洲出生的 gbMSM 在澳大利亚面临的潜在歧视，这对社交联系，特别是对 LGBTQI 社区和艾滋病毒检测实践产生影响。未来的研究应该确定减少新抵达的亚洲出生的 gbMSM 中的性身份和与艾滋病毒相关的耻辱感的有效策略。
