We interviewed 24 Asian-born gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) who had recently arrived in Australia.
Participants described hiding their sexual identities in their country of origin, particularly from family members, due to fear of judgement and discrimination resulting from their sexual identity and HIV related stigma in their countries of origin. Some some were open to friends. Despite feeling more sexual freedom and acceptance in Australia, many were still not open about their sexual identity due to their own feelings of stigma and shame. Exposure to stigma in their country of origin led many to report anxiety around HIV testing in Australia due to a fear of testing positive. Some described experiencing racism and lack of acceptance in the gay community in Australia, particularly on dating apps.
Publications
“Moving from one environment to another, it doesn’t automatically change everything.” Exploring the transnational experience of Asian-born gay and bisexual men who have sex with men newly arrived in Australia
Phillips TR, Medland N, Chow EPF, Maddaford K, Wigan R, Fairley CK, Ong JJ, Bilardi JE
(2020), PLOS ONE,