How do community-based HIV prevention programmes for men who have sex with men 'travel'? Lessons from the Ukwazana/Zwakalani journey in South Africa.
Research reveals how homophobia and stigma link closely to HIV among men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper considers the varying impact of homophobic stigma on HIV prevention programmes among men who have sex with men in South Africa. It explores how a community-based HIV prevention programme based in the peri-urban townships of Cape Town was 'translated' to peri-urban Johannesburg. Drawing on interviews with volunteers and programme facilitators in Johannesburg, it argues that an altered homophobic environment to that found in Cape Town gave different opportunities to engage both with other men who have sex with men and the broader community. It also argues that programme facilitators should be mindful of how varying degrees of homophobic stigma may relate to broader theoretical debates about sexual binary relationships, which can help us understand why particular programmes choose to focus on certain activities rather than others.
a Centre for Gender Studies, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK.
Andrew
A
Tucker
Glenn
G
de Swardt
James
J
McIntyre
Helen
H
Struthers
D000328:Adult; D003151:Community Health Centers; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult
HIV prevention; South Africa; community interventions; homophobia; men who have sex with men