Becoming PrEPared: Stigma’s Influence on the Uptake of PrEP among Gay and Bisexual Men

• In Event: 4122 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtables (60 min)
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 6. The Intersection of Sexual Identity and Health

Abstract

Gay and bisexual men (GBM) make up only 3.9% of the United States population (LGBTStats 2019) but continue to account for a disproportionately high share (69%) of the new HIV infections each year (CDC 2020). Even after the FDA approved HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2012, an HIV prevention medication marketed heavily to men who have sex with men, this pattern of high HIV incidence among GBM has not seen any noticeable changes. While the previous literature on PrEP has examined usage trends and speculated about barriers to widespread uptake, these studies have rarely explored where these barriers come from and how they actually influence the PrEP usage decisions of GBM. Using a lens of stigma as a fundamental cause of health disparities, this study examines data from interviews conducted in a large Midwest city with 25 GBM individuals – 13 who had ever used and 12 who had never used PrEP – to explore the barriers these men faced that impacted their decision to use PrEP or not. Results show that GBM PrEP users and non-users alike often face barriers when deciding to use the medication or not. These findings provide new insight into the causes of low uptake of PrEP among GBM as being attributable to barriers – some of which are rooted in various forms of sexual- and sexuality-related stigma.

Author

• Brandon James Moore, The Ohio State University