Negotiating Positive Living : a 10-country study by APN+ on Issues Facing HIV-Positive MSM in the Asia Pacific : volume 1: A disrupted biography

M. Choo

There is now overwhelming evidence that the epidemic among MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) is well established and increasing. While some actions are now being put in place on a regional and country basis to address prevention amongst MSM, there has been very little work done in regards to the issues for MSM who are already positive. To fulfil this gap, community-based organisations of positive people linked to the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APN+) through a participatory research methodology, learned to design and implement a study to explore the issues affecting positive MSM in the region. As a result, 17 focus group discussions were peer-led in 10 countries: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Vietnam. In total 124 positive MSM (including 21 transgender), 19 of whom married and 72 on ARV, participated in discussions conducted in local language. These were recorded, transcribed and translated into English for analysis. Thematic analysis that was constantly compared between countries distilled a guiding orientation of issues faced by positive MSM across cultural differences and between countries. Findings suggest an emerging pattern that HIV has had a profound effect on positive MSM's sense of self and relationship with others: living with HIV changes you, changes the meaning you have about yourself, and who you are. In essence, there appears to be a biographical disruption (Bury 1982) - the confusion and disturbance to the stories we tell ourselves and others about who we are, and through these stories derive meanings about our lives - among those testing positive and living with HIV. This study provides a timely critique on the lack of community-centred discussions surrounding sex, sexuality, and sexual identity.