HOMOFOBIA INTERNALIZADA E OPRESSÃO SOCIAL PERCEBIDA POR HOMENS GAYS QUE VIVEM COM HIV

Abstract

Understanding the perception of internalized and community homophobia reported by gay men living with HIV is especially important because it contributes to the production of knowledge that can support public health policies aimed at caring for this population doubly exposed to the burden of stigma. The objective of the study was to evaluate internalized homophobia and perceived social oppression by a sample of gay men living with HIV/AIDS and to verify associations between homophobia and sociodemographic variables of the participants. This is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. Participants were 138 gay men with HIV, mean age of 36 years. The survey was conducted online, in the second semester of 2022. The Internalized Homophobia Scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used. High scores were found both on the subscale of social oppression, which verifies the perceived stigma in the community, and on the internalized homophobia, which refers to the stigma of gay men in relation to homosexuality. More than 93% of the participants believe that society punishes homosexual people, 98.55% that discrimination against homosexual people is still common, 22% do not like to think about their own sexuality and 22% prefer to have anonymous sexual partnerships. A greater perception of homophobia was verified among retirees and unemployed. The alarming scores of internalized and perceived homophobia in the community point to the urgency of intersectoral actions in Brazil aimed at reducing stigma, especially among individuals belonging to key populations, such as those living with HIV.