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June 13: 'Rethinking MSM' Webinar on Politics of Identity in HIV Prevention

On Wednesday, July 3, the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA) will sponsor a webinar to examine the politics of identity definitions as they relate to HIV prevention, with an emphases on the category of "MSM," or men who have sex with men.

Since the late 1980s, "MSM" has been a category used to describe gay men and other men who might engage in sex with other men, but do not identify as gay or bisexual.

"The term has since raised questions on race, culture, community, the impact of the category upon public health prevention efforts, [and] how the 'MSM' category reinforces stigmatization and social exclusion of gay and bisexual men," according to the HIV PJA website. "There are those that believe that terms like gay and bisexual create a barrier for some men [who] might desire and have sex with other men, but resist labeling themselves as such. Others have argued that terms like MSM reduce gay men to a risk category and rob them of a culture, history, and community."

The webinar will include a panel discussion featuring:

• Chris Bartlett-- Community Activist and Executive Director, the William Way Community Center, Philadelphia, PA;
• Louis Graham, PhD-- W.K. Kellogg Postdoctoral Health Scholar at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI;
• Ilan H. Meyer, PhD -- Senior Scholar for Public Policy, Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA;
• Charles Stephens-- HIV PJA Steering Committee Member (moderator).

Call for Bloggers: Rethinking MSM and the Politics of Identity in HIV Prevention

There has been considerable debate in the HIV/AIDS community around the category of “MSM,” and more broadly the conceptualization of “risk-behavior,” vs “community/identity.”

The webinar will take place at 3:30 pm EDT (12:30 pm Pacific time). To register, visit https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/245731502.

HIV PJA is also seeking submissions for its preventionjustice.org blog that address the issue of identity categories and HIV prevention.

Submissions might address the following questions:

• How does the category of "MSM" affect community building, empowerment, and resilience?
• How does the label of "MSM" respond to the complex ways that gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men, experience and practice their desires?
• What are some of the ways forward in the politics of naming and community-building in the context of HIV prevention?
• How are transgender women marginalized by the MSM category

Send blog submissions (under 750 words) to  JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING  by Friday June 29th 2012.

6/12/12

Sources

J Davids, HIV Prevention Justice Alliance. 6/13 - WEBINAR: Rethinking the "MSM" Category. Announcement. June 4, 2012.

J Merrell, HIV Prevention Justice Alliance. Call for Bloggers: Rethinking MSM and the Politics of Identity in HIV Prevention. Announcement. June 8, 2012.