The Influence of Pastors' Ideologies of Homosexuality on HIV Prevention in the Black Church.
Young, Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV, and Black Churches may be a source of stigma which can exacerbate HIV risk and contribute to negative health and psychosocial outcomes. Findings from this study are based on 21 semi-structured interviews with pastors and ethnographic observation in six Black Churches. Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed in MAXQDA using thematic content analysis. Although pastors espoused messages of love and acceptance, they overwhelmingly believed homosexuality was a sin and had difficulty accepting YBMSM into their churches. The tension around homosexuality limited pastors' involvement in HIV prevention efforts, although there still may be opportunities for some churches.
Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2071 N. Summit, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, USA. kaquinn@mcw.edu.
Katherine
K
Quinn
Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2071 N. Summit, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, USA.
Julia
J
Dickson-Gomez
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Institute for Health and Society, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Staci
S
Young
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D002977:Clergy / Q000523:psychology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D057545:Social Stigma
Black Church; Black MSM; HIV; Homosexuality; Stigma