The conflation of gender and sex: Gaps and opportunities in HIV data among transgender women and MSM

Tonia Poteat, Danielle German, Colin Flynn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Historically, HIV studies have conflated men who have sex with men (MSM) with transgender (trans) women, explicitly excluded trans individuals, or included sample sizes of trans people that are too small to reach meaningful conclusions. Despite the heavy burden of HIV among trans women, conflation of this population with MSM has limited the information available on the social and behavioural factors that increase HIV vulnerability among trans women and how these factors may differ from MSM. Using data sets from quantitative studies among MSM (n = 645) and trans women (n = 89), as well as qualitative in-depth interviews with 30 trans women in Baltimore, we explore what these data tell us about similarities and differences in HIV vulnerability between the two groups and where they leave gaps in our understanding. We conclude with implications for data collection and intervention development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)835-848
Number of pages14
JournalGlobal public health
Volume11
Issue number7-8
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 13 2016

Keywords

  • HIV
  • MSM
  • intersectionality
  • syndemic
  • transgender women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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