title: Forms of Safety and Their Impact on Health: An Exploration of HIV/AIDS-Related Risk and Resilience Among Trans Women in Lebanon.
abstract: Using minority stress theory, the authors investigated risk behaviors of transgender women (trans women) in Lebanon. Using semistructured interviews, the authors explored six areas: relationships with family and friends; openness about gender and sexuality; experiences with stigma; sexual behavior; attitudes and behaviors regarding HIV testing; and perceived HIV-related norms among transgender peers. Participants voiced the importance of different forms of safety: social/emotional, physical, sexual, and financial. Strategies for obtaining safety were negotiated differently depending on social, behavioral, and structural factors in the environment. In this article, we provide study findings from the perspectives of trans women, their exposure to stigma, and the necessary navigation of environments characterized by transphobia.
authors.affiliation: a Human Rights Center; and Mack Center on Mental Health & Social Conflict, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley , California , USA.
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Glenn J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nehme
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aunon
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khouri
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mokhbat
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007861:Lebanon; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D063106:Transgender Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence; D008297:Male