title: Identity management and sense of belonging to gay community among young rural Thai same-sex attracted men: implications for HIV prevention and treatment.
abstract: Young Thai men who have sex with men continue to have high HIV prevalence and incidence in spite of much investment in community-based prevention approaches. To make HIV services more appropriate for same-sex attracted young men in Thailand, it needs to be considered how target groups view themselves and manage their identities. This paper derives from a qualitative study of 25 same-sex attracted rural young Thai men. It identifies five tactics men employed to manage the discrepancy between their preferences and parental/societal expectations regarding gender and sexuality, and discusses how the young men viewed themselves in the wider context of Thai society, including whether they felt part of a separate gay community. Participants usually did not adopt a gay social identity and were reluctant to join in gay community activities beyond dating. Hence, they would likely experience barriers in accessing gay community-based HIV services. HIV services targeting young same-sex attracted Thai men need to be diversified if they are to be more inclusive, appropriate and effective.
authors.affiliation: a Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society , La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Jan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: de Lind van Wijngaarden
authors.affiliation: b Department of Society and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities , Mahidol University , Salaya , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.
authors.forename: Timo T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ojanen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013785:Thailand; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV; Thailand; homosexuality; identity; same-sex attracted men