"HIV is the worst thing to have": Socio-Cultural Contexts of HIV Stigma and HIV testing among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) and Transgender Women

Young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women experience substantial HIV infection rates, reflective of an urgent health
crisis in the United States. Research has indicated that socio-structural
factors have contributed to the disparate HIV infection rates among
Black MSM and transgender women: infrequent HIV testing, late HIV
diagnosis, inadequate access to health care (including HIV prevention
and care), lower income, stigma, and discrimination. Few studies have
focused on the experiences of HIV stigma in relation to HIV testing
among young Black MSM and transgender women. The objective of this
research is to explore socio-cultural contexts of HIV stigma and HIV
testing among young Black MSM and transgender women. Socio-cultural
contexts provide salient considerations in understanding how these
dimensions influence young people?s development and well-being. These
strategies pose relevant implications for strengthening access to a
broader reach of culturally-relevant prevention efforts to facilitate
frequent HIV testing and promote HIV status knowledge.