‘It's my inner strength’: spirituality, religion and HIV in the lives of young African American men who have sex with men

Abstract

Young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) account for 48% of 13–29 year old HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the USA. It is important to develop an effective HIV prevention approach that is grounded in the context of young men’s lives. Towards this goal, we conducted 31 interviews with 18–30 year old YBMSM in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. This paper examines the roles of religion and spirituality in YBMSM’s lives, which is central in the lives of many African Americans. Six prominent themes emerged: (1) childhood participation in formal religious institutions; (2) the continued importance of spirituality among YBMSM; (3) homophobia and stigmatisation in traditional black churches; (4) tension between being an MSM and Christian; (5) religion and spirituality’s impact on men’s sense of personal empowerment and coping abilities; and (6) treatment of others and building compassion. Findings suggest that integrating spiritual practice into HIV prevention may help programmes be more culturally grounded, thereby attracting more men and resonating with their experiences and values. In addition, faith-based HIV/AIDS ministries that support HIV-positive YBMSM may be particularly helpful. Finally, targeting pastors and other church leaders through anti-stigma curricula is crucial.

Public health and church-based constructions of HIV prevention: black Baptist perspective

“…Although churches in this study were broadly supportive of prevention interventions within the church, their discussions were targeted at heterosexual partnerships. Given many church views on the parameters for sexual activity, homosexuality remains a difficult area for many black churches to address [33,56,62,64,68,69,70]. This challenge has implications in particular for Black men who have sex with men, who remain at highest risk of HIV [71].…”

Childhood Exposure to Religions With High Prevalence of Members Who Discourage Homosexuality Is Associated With Adult HIV Risk Behaviors and HIV Infection in Black Men Who Have Sex With Men

“…The association that was identified between internalized homophobia and HIV/STI behavioral risk was mediated by racial/sexual identity incongruence. These results contribute to a growing evidence base with regard to internalized homophobia, other related constructs, and HIV/STI behavioral risk (Barnes & Meyer, 2012;Foster et al, 2011;Jeffries et al, 2014;Lassiter, 2015;Pitt, 2009). Nonetheless, the literature is inconsistent with regard to what variables mediate the relationship between internalized homophobia and HIV/STI behavioral risk (Newcomb & Mustanski, 2011).…”

“…In Black communities, the "church" is a revered cultural and spiritual institution that has a rich history of struggle against oppression and marginalization (Jeffries, Dodge, & Sandfort, 2008;Miller, 2005;Woodyard, Peterson, & Stokes, 2000;Quinn & Dickson-Gomez, 2015;Taylor, Chatters, & Levin, 2003). Nonetheless, a number of studies indicate that religious institutions have a variety of attitudes and approaches for dealing with MSM in their congregations-perhaps the most common being that same-sex behavior is an abomination that is prohibited by divine scriptures and therefore cannot be accepted and must be condemned (Foster, Arnold, Rebchook, & Kegeles, 2011;Harris, 2010;Quinn & Dickson-Gomez, 2015;P. A. Wilson, Wittlin, MunozLaboy, & Parker, 2011).…”

Understanding the Irony: Canadian Gay Men Living with HIV/AIDS, Their Catholic Devotion, and Greater Well-being

“…Religion has been shown to provide comfort, stability, and strength to people who have suffered from personal loss (Goodman and Stone 2009), unemployment (Shams and Jackson 1993), mental illness (Mela et al 2008), cancer (Stewart 2011), and chronic debilitating disease (Drescher 2011). Despite the apparent part many religions have played in the discrimination of LGBT individuals and the marginalization of HIV-positive people, religion has also been shown to provide comfort, stability, and strength to many of those who identify as LGBT (Bozard and Sanders 2011;Kocet et al 2011) or live with HIV/AIDS (Foster et al 2011;Hampton et al 2010). Although many researchers have investigated the merits of religious coping as a strategy for overcoming life struggles, the majority of the discourse in these studies has mostly revolved around religion in general, not on a particular religion.…”