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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.
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