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Yang L, Sun Z. Are All Gay Men at Risk of Developing HIV/AIDS? Why China's Mass HIV Testing Has Majorly Targeted Gay Men in the Era of Biomedicalization. Am J Mens Health 2024; 18:15579883241230165. [PMID: 38321807 PMCID: PMC10851740 DOI: 10.1177/15579883241230165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Global HIV/AIDS responses have been increasingly biomedically dominated over the past years. In line with this shifting paradigm, China has prioritized mass HIV testing as a practical approach to controlling its HIV/AIDS epidemics among at-risk populations, especially gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). This study analyzed why China's mass HIV testing mainly targeted gay men by understanding the perspectives of public health professionals, community-based organization (CBO) workers, and gay men. In addition, this study revealed the tensions and unintended consequences of HIV/AIDS prevention and the representation of gay men in China. The study involved fieldwork conducted in a major city in Eastern China from 2015 to 2019. Semi-structured interviews were held with participants from the three abovementioned groups (N = 25). The study identified four processes concerning why gay men are mainly targeted for HIV testing. Some public health professionals believe that being a gay man is equivalent to having HIV/AIDS risks. In addition, this study particularly noted tensions between public health professionals and gay men, including gay men-identified CBO workers, over whether mass HIV testing should target gay men or anyone who engaged in sexual risk behaviors. This study argued that a particular focus on gay men due to pursuing biomedical advances in HIV/AIDS prevention seems to have unintendedly stereotyped gay men based on the presumptions that they are at risk of developing HIV/AIDS. In addition, this study corresponded to the broader social scientific discussion concerning whether HIV/AIDS intervention should target specific sexual risk practices or sexual identity/population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- School of Public Administration, Beihang University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Zhipeng Sun
- Shanghai Technician School; Higher Vocational and Technical College, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, P.R. China
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Zhang Y, Worth H, Jun J, McMillan K, Chunyan S, Xiaoxing F, Zhang Y, Rui Z, Kelly-Hanku A, Jia C. 'I loved him all my life': love, duty and homosexuality in post-liberation China. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2019; 21:591-604. [PMID: 30328772 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2018.1501514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This article is born out of an oral history study of 31 elderly homosexual men in four cities in China. It shows the ways in which major events of Chinese history since the birth of the People's Republic in 1949 intervene in personal lives and, in turn, how personal lives are drawn into larger historical events. One of the major themes running through these life narratives is that of love and duty. The interrelationship, as well as the tensions, between duty and love is a central part of the experiences of elderly Chinese homosexual men; their lives have been beset by hardships and duty, as well as by the joys of love, and these have an impact on their health and wellbeing. The experience of one individual, Mr Peng, illustrates the important yet shifting ways in which love and duty have been twinned throughout key life events. His narrative indicates an intricate interweaving of love for family, love for Deng, his male partner of 20 years, and love for his wife, as well as duty to family and to a patron. The inseparable couplet of love and duty served as the source of hardship and pain, but also of protection and great joy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youchun Zhang
- a Institute of Anthropology , Renmin University of China , Beijing , China
| | - Heather Worth
- b School of Public Health and Community Medicine , UNSW Sydney , Australia
| | - Jing Jun
- c Public Health Research Center , Tsinghua University , Beijing , China
| | - Karen McMillan
- b School of Public Health and Community Medicine , UNSW Sydney , Australia
| | - Su Chunyan
- d Journalism and Communication , China Youth University for Politicial Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Fu Xiaoxing
- e School of Sociology and Politics , Renmin University of China , Bejing , China
| | - Yuping Zhang
- f School of Sociology , Tsinghua University , Beijing , China
| | - Zhao Rui
- f School of Sociology , Tsinghua University , Beijing , China
| | - Angela Kelly-Hanku
- g Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research , Goroka , Papua New Guinea
| | - Cui Jia
- f School of Sociology , Tsinghua University , Beijing , China
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Xie Y, Peng M. Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in China: Exploring the Effects of Religion, Modernizing Factors, and Traditional Culture. JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2017; 65:1758-1787. [PMID: 28956732 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1386025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Using the zero-inflated model and nationally representative sample data from the Chinese General Social Surveys 2013, this study systematically explored the effects of religion, modernizing factors, and traditional culture on attitudes toward homosexuality in China. The findings indicate that most Chinese people generally hold conservative attitudes toward homosexuality, as approximately 78.53% of the respondents believed that "same-sex sexual behavior is always wrong." Modernizing factors (i.e., education, exposure to Internet information, and liberal inclinations) predicted greater tolerance for homosexuality, whereas Islamic beliefs negatively influenced respondents' attitudes toward homosexuality. In contrast to the findings of the existing literature, Christian beliefs and traditional culture did not have significant effects on attitudes toward homosexuality. These findings may contribute to the literature by not only quantitatively testing the applicability of several factors identified in most Western studies of this topic but also providing new knowledge of attitudes toward homosexuality in the social context of China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xie
- a Department of Sociology , School of Public Administration, Guangzhou University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Minggang Peng
- b Department of Government Affairs , School of Public Administration, Guangzhou University , Guangzhou , China
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Nygren KG, Öhman S, Olofsson A. Everyday places, heterosexist spaces and risk in contemporary Sweden. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2015; 18:45-57. [PMID: 26242996 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2015.1063814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Subjective feelings of risk are a central feature of everyday life, and evidence shows that people who do not conform to contemporary normative notions are often more exposed to everyday risks than others. Despite this, normative notions are rarely acknowledged as risk objects. By drawing on the theory of 'doing' and 'undoing' risk, which combines intersectional and risk theory, this study contributes new perspectives on the everyday risks in contemporary society that face people who many would label as being 'at risk' - lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The study consists of five focus group interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of different ages in Sweden. Findings pinpoint risks and how these are done and un-done in different spheres of interviewees' lives: the emotional risks prevailing in their private lives; the risk of discrimination at work and in relations with other institutions; and the risk of violence and harassment in public places. These risks are all related to the heteronormative order in which the mere fact of being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender is perceived as a risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susanna Öhman
- b Risk and Crisis Research Center , Mid-Sweden University , Östersund , Sweden
| | - Anna Olofsson
- b Risk and Crisis Research Center , Mid-Sweden University , Östersund , Sweden
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Cheng W, Tang W, Zhong F, Babu GR, Han Z, Qin F, Gao K, Mai H, Zhao Y, Liang C, Fan L, Wu H, Xu H, Wang M. Consistently high unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) and factors correlated with UAI among men who have sex with men: implication of a serial cross-sectional study in Guangzhou, China. BMC Infect Dis 2014; 14:696. [PMID: 25519034 PMCID: PMC4279965 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-014-0696-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background China experiencing an increasing HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM), and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) has played a key role in this process. The aims of this study were to examine the trend of UAI and to explore the factors correlated with UAI among MSM in Guangzhou, China. Methods Data from 2008 to 2013 were retrieved from the annual serological and behavioral surveys system. We collected information on demographic, HIV related sexual behavior with men and women, access to HIV prevention services, and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections. Chi-square test was used to examine the similarity of the participants during the study period. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to test the factors associated with UAI. Trend test was used to check the change of UAI in different characteristic stratums during the study period. Results In total, 58.4% (range from 54.5% to 62.0%) of the participants reported that they engaged in UAI in the past six months. Participants who aged less than 20 [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.22, 95% Confidential Interval (CI): 1.07-4.61], only attended elementary school (or less) (AOR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.04-1.90), cohabiting with male partner (AOR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.66-2.79), divorced or widowed (AOR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.54-5.07), did not test for HIV in the past year (AOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.12-1.65), and had 10 or more partners in the past six months (AOR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.18-2.91) had higher odds of UAI. However, the proportions of UAI were stable in different stratums during the study period. Conclusions The proportion of MSM engaged in UAI was consistently high during the study period. Effective intervention strategies, which include but not limit to risk reduction counseling and testing services, are urgently needed to bring down the risk behaviors of the MSM in Guangzhou, in order to control HIV/STIs epidemic in this specific population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibin Cheng
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Weiming Tang
- University of North Carolina Project-China, No.2 Lujing Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510095, China.
| | - Fei Zhong
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China. .,School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.74 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, Province, 510080, China.
| | - Giridhar R Babu
- Department of Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India, IIPH H, Bangalore Campus, SIHFW Premises, 1st cross, Magadi road, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560023, India.
| | - Zhigang Han
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Faju Qin
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Kai Gao
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Huixia Mai
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Yuteng Zhao
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Caiyun Liang
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Lirui Fan
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Huifang Xu
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
| | - Ming Wang
- Department of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.1, Qide Road, Jiahe, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510440, China.
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Li H, Lau JT, Holroyd E, Yi H. Sociocultural facilitators and barriers to condom use during anal sex among men who have sex with men in Guangzhou, China: an ethnographic study. AIDS Care 2010; 22:1481-6. [DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2010.482121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haochu Li
- a School of Public Health and Primary Care, Prince of Wales Hospital , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shatin , New Territories , Hong Kong
- b Centre for Medical Anthropology and Behavioral Health, Department of Anthropology , Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Joseph T.F. Lau
- a School of Public Health and Primary Care, Prince of Wales Hospital , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shatin , New Territories , Hong Kong
- b Centre for Medical Anthropology and Behavioral Health, Department of Anthropology , Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Eleanor Holroyd
- c School of Health Sciences , The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University , Melbourne , VIC , Australia
| | - Huso Yi
- d HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Department of Psychiatry , Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute , New York , NY , 10032 , USA
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