Explorations in the Cultural History of AIDS

Abstract: 

Lo Que se Esconde al Final del Arcoiris: Narratives of Social Oppression Among Latino Immigrant Gay & Bisexual Men within the U.S. Gay Community

Presenter: Luis E. Ciprez

Cesar Chavez Research Institute – San Francisco State University

Co-Author: Rafael M. Diaz, Ph.D.

In the United States, Latino gay men (LGM) have the second highest HIV infection rate and this is more than three times the infection rate of White men who have sex with men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). Previous literature has pointed to social discrimination and the length of U.S. residency as predictors of sexual risk behavior and psychological distress. A tested theoretical model confirmed that participants who reported more experiences of discrimination were more likely to engage in unprotected sex, had higher levels of substance use, and higher levels of depression and anxiety when compared to those men who reported less experiences of discrimination. Similarly, the relationship between discrimination and negative mental health outcomes has been reported in other populations and is very well documented in the literature. The way social discrimination seems to work is by generating feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and psychological distress, which in turn can lead to unprotected sex and mental health problems in LGM.

Additionally, the length of U.S. residency seems to have a negative impact on the sexual risk behavior and well being of LIGBM. That is, in a previous study recent immigrants were significantly less likely to engage in unprotected sex, had lower levels of substance use and mental health problems when compared to those men who had been in the U.S. for more than eleven years. It has been speculated that HIV risk behavior and mental health problems augment as the length of U.S. residency stretches because as immigrants spend more time in the U.S. their discriminatory experiences increase as well. Therefore, we need to further expand our knowledge about their social interactions to better understand the dynamics of social oppression as to address the HIV disparities and mental health problems that afflict LIGBM.

Consequently, the purpose of this study was to explore the sexual and social interactions of LIGBM within the “mainstream” gay community and with White gay men. Specifically, this research explored the sexual and social interactions of 17 self-identified gay and 2 bisexual Latin American born men (15 were Mexican). At the end of two-hour long interviews, participants took an exit survey that inquired about demographic information, sexual behavior and substance use. All, but four of the participants, reported leaving their home countries due to the sexual oppression they had experienced which ranged from verbal abuse to police brutalization and rape. 

When participants were asked to share their experiences as Latinos within the White-majority gay community, unexpectedly, many responded as “never having experienced discrimination” or “at least not to the same degree” that their peers had.

Similarly, other participants were more likely to acknowledge discriminatory acts when these occurred to their friends and said, “It has not happened to me personally.” However, as the interviews proceeded, participants began narrating personal experiences that could be described as discriminatory. These experiences were organized in the following categories: (1) Unfair treatment; (2) Attribution of negative stereotypes; (3) Sexual objectification; (4) Mockery and demeaning comments; and (5) Exclusion. These experiences occurred at bars, nightclubs, bathhouses, social organizations, and events where there was a strong presence of White gay men. Additionally, we found evidence of possible negative ethnic stereotype internalization. These latter narratives emerged when participants described their own group using negative Latino stereotypes and these quotes are also presented. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Abstracts

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