Good point made by Jan on the MSM Asia list. In Laos a couple of years ago I heard transgender women referred to as 'long haired MSM'. I have also heard unreached MSM called 'nongay MSM'. Language is important.

Jamie

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Men who have sex with men (MSM) who are not in reach of HIV prevention and testing programs are often called ‘hidden MSM’. Calling them ‘hidden’ implies that they are somehow in hiding, and conveniently shifts the blame away from service providers that should be reaching them. This attitude should change. We should start calling them UNREACHED MSM.

Current interventions are virtually all based on the premise and assumption that all MSM are (or want to be) members of a 'community' that should be empowered or mobilised. Such interventions are scary to, and therefore not suitable for most unreached MSM, which is why they do not access them. HIV prevention policy makers, researchers and service providers need to come up with more intelligent strategies, more compelling messages, and better tailored interventions to promote HIV testing and increase condom use among these men who have sex with men, who are often married and who do not want to be part of a ‘community’, but wish to happily remain part of mainstream society.

Jan W de Lind van Wijngaarden
on MSM Asia email list