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Homophobia and HIV

Suggested Citation: Sinha, N. (2021, June 3). Homophobia and HIV. Queer Academia. URL

Homophobia and HIV | Nisha Sinha

According to the research, Geeta Shyamsunder Soohinda[1] emphasizes that Indian men who have sex with men may show less health-seeking behavior and a higher level of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse because of the stigma around homosexuality. This leads to many barriers in HIV health services, education, and employment securities.

This maybe shocking for many who assume the world to be heading towards an increasingly accepting environment with regards to same-sex relationships, however the ground reality for many is very different. Studies show that there is an increased risk of HIV among bisexual, gay, or other men who have sex with men (MSM) than the general population. Even in the United States, which many consider a safe-haven for same sex relationships, a 2016 CDC[2] statistics show that 1 in 6 gay and bisexual men are at a lifetime HIV risk. Therefore, if such statistics are present in the United States what is to be expected from other countries, especially those of the Global South?

Given this reality, this paper will establish how homophobia may become a barrier in providing AIDS/HIV prevention and health services to gay, lesbian and bisexual people. 

Homophobia & Psychology 

Homophobia refers to prejudiced negative thoughts against Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people. Homophobia is a word with bilingual roots, where “Homo” is Latin for man and “Phobia” is a Greek word that means fear. The term was first used by George Weinberg in the year 1960 in his book “Society and the Healthy Homosexual” published in 1972[3]

Homophobic individuals display a negative attitude towards individuals involving in same-sex relationships. They use mean words, abuse individuals who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual, or sometimes people threaten/attack them. Worse yet, some homosexual individuals face discrimination based on their sexual orientation, cross-dressing and same-sex relationships, which is further compounded by race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth, and economic discrepancy. For example, research from India, Nepal and Bangaldesh shows that lesbian women forced into heterosexual marriages are at a higher risk of facing physical violence than those are not.[4] 

Given this reality, homophobia and social stigma increase the isolation of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in the country. This isolation is well rooted in a history of psychological demonisation of same-sex relationships — even from the mental health institutions. It was only in 1973, that the American Psychological Association supported the action of the American Psychiatric Association by removing homosexuality from the Association's official list of mental disorders. Closer to home, in India it was only in 2018 that the Indian Psychiatric Society has categorically stated that homosexuality is not a disease and must not be regarded as such.

It should therefore come as no shock that many gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals may harbor a deep-rooted sense of discomfort, dislike or even hatred for their own identities (which is sometimes termed “internalized homophobia”). For example, in the study by H E Adams in 1996[5], it was determined that some homophobic individuals have sexual desire among same-sex, but they repress their feelings or avoid being with same-sex. Further, according to the global survey report of 2012, the young men who have sex with men show a high level of homophobia as compared to older men[6]. Even in the recent research published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine[7], they tested their impulsive approach tendencies toward homosexual stimuli and the result shows that men with a high homonegativity have a more homosexual interest. Remember that these figures do not take the account of the figures among women or the region outside the United States. Those figures might yield more drastic figures depending on the conditions that one lives in. 

 Understanding Change

The complex interplay of factors resulting in homophobia and stigma greatly impacts the lives of LGBT individuals and could influence their behavior. Therefore, for a significant change to begin with is important:  many institutional barriers be acknowledged and addressed. There are countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Afghanistan, Brunei, and Mauritania where the death penalty is prescribed for homosexuality[8]. In the International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development study[9], it was found that the inclusion of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender in the educational sector is a big challenge, and many institutions denied their rights of taking admission, because of no education or less education leads them to unemployment and poverty which signifies high inequality in education. However, addressing institutional factors like these is only a starting point. 

As explained earlier, it is the social stigma that results in self-conscious behavior that puts lesbian, gay and bisexual youths at a higher risk of HIV. A 2008 report by NIH[10] noted that, “prejudice and discrimination may restrict access to health services and result in hate crimes. Internalized homophobia may lead to self-segregation, delayed health-seeking behaviour and incomplete/inaccurate clinical records”. Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals experience emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, getting neglected by people, which affects functional relationships with their family, colleagues, friends, and society. Thus, the need is also to find ways to further social inclusion and acceptance for people. 

 Conclusion

Health, particularly sexual health, cannot exist within a vacuum of diagnosis,   medication and cure. It requires a diligent need for reassessing the social fabric it exists in. Given this reality, the reduction in HIV/AIDS health disparities manifested in the queer community requires structural and contextual factors.

Written by: Nisha Sinha

Edited by: Sanket Sharma

About the Author: Nisha has completed her post graduate degree in Clinical Psychology from Hislop College. She has a specific interest in treating individuals through therapy and Counselling.

 

[1] Soohinda GS, Jaggi PS, Sampath H, Dutta S. Depression and its correlates in men who have sex with men (MSM) in India. Indian J Soc Psychiatry 2018;34:239-44

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC FACT SHEET HIV Among Gay and Bisexual Men (2016). 

[3] Weinberg, G. (2010). Society and the Healthy Homosexual. United States: St. Martin's Press

[4] Gitari, E. M., & Walters, M. A. (2020). In Hate crimes against the LGBT community in the Commonwealth: a situational analysis (pp. 27–30). essay, Equality & Justice Alliance.

[5] Adams, H., Wright, L., & Lohr, B. (1996). Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105 (3), 440-445 DOI: 10.1037/0021-843x.105.3.440. 

[6] Beck, J., Santos, G.-M., & Ayala, G. (2012, April). Young Men Who Have Sex with Men: Health, Access, and HIV. MSMGF_YMSM_PolicyBrief.

[7] Cheval, B., Radel, R., Grob, E., Ghisletta, P., Bianchi-Demicheli, F., & Chanal, J. (2016). Homophobia: An impulsive attraction to the same sex? Evidence from eye-tracking data in a picture-viewing task. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 13(5), 825-834. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.02.165. 

[8] International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association: Carroll, A., State Sponsored Homophobia 2016: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition (Geneva; ILGA, May 2016). 

[9] Mittra, M. A. (2017). Educational inequality in India: A review paper for transgender population. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, Volume-2(Issue-1), 1578-1584. doi:10.31142/ijtsrd8293 

[10] Cáceres, C. F., Aggleton, P., & Galea, J. T. (2008). Sexual diversity, social inclusion and HIV/AIDS. AIDS (London, England), 22 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), S45–S55. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aids.0000327436.36161.80

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