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Black and Latino sexual minority men (BLSMM) scholars are well positioned to draw on their unique perspectives and expertise to address the health status and life opportunities (HSLO) of BLSMM. Increasingly, research related to the positionality of scholars of color suggests that the scholar's stance in relation to the community being researched has important implications for the research. Despite growing recognition of the importance of scholar positionality, limited attention has been paid to the relationship between scholar-of-color positionality and improving HSLO trajectories of BLSMM. Furthermore, extant literature fails to specify the mechanisms by which scholar-of-color positionality can improve HSLO among BLSMM. This article seeks to fill this gap in research by arguing that an inadequate consideration of scholar positionality in health and life opportunity research has important implications for the HSLO of BLSMM. A multilevel, mediational model addressing factors at the micro-level (i.e., intrapersonal resources)--BLSMM scholars' personal commitments to BLSMM communities, cultural knowledge and expertise, and shared life experiences; meso-level (i.e., scholar and affected community interactions)--historical membership, mutual interdependency and trust, and community and organizational gatekeeping; and macro-level (i.e., national policies and priorities regarding BLSMM)--national priorities regarding the health and social welfare of BLSMM, allocation of BLSMM research and program funding, societal sentiment, and national investment in the workforce development of BLSMM scholars and clinicians are detailed. In conclusion, we identify recommendations and strategies for advancing scientific, programmatic, and policy efforts, aimed at improving HSLO among communities of BLSMM.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective yet under-utilised method for preventing HIV transmission in high-risk groups. Despite ongoing social marketing to increase PrEP awareness, few studies have evaluated public responses. This paper contextualises negative responses to Chicago's PrEP4Love campaign. In February 2016, a sex-positive ad campaign called PrEP4Love was launched online and throughout public spaces in Chicago. A gender and sexuality inclusive campaign, PrEP4Love is intended to be culturally responsive and sex positive, while retaining a focus on risk reduction. Advertisements prominently feature Black sexual minority men, and Black transgender women, and were strategically placed in diverse Chicago neighbourhoods. In response, there were 212 new callers to the PrEPLine during the two-month study period. Negative responses were concerned with: negatively depicting Black homosexuality (4), general anti-LGBTQ comments (7), adverse effects on children (6), sexually explicit nature (5), and general stigmatisation of racial minorities (4). Discussion focuses on sex-positive frameworks, normalising intimacy, stigma and historical mistrust of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, and the social meanings of biomedical prevention technologies (e.g. PrEP) in relation to dominant norms of sexuality and gender. This study is the first to investigate public responses to a sex-positive PrEP campaign. More studies of PrEP social marketing are needed to evaluate targeted public health campaigns to guide future PrEP promotion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black gay men must navigate identities and stigmas related to being gay and Black, and report higher HIV incidence relative to their White male counterparts although they report lower rates of drug use and risky sexual behaviors. This study examined whether closeness to the gay or Black community correlated with HIV-related risk and protective behaviors. Data were drawn from uConnect, a population-based cohort study of young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) on Chicago's South Side. The sample consists of 618 Black MSM ranging in age from 16 to 29. Cross-sectional measures for this study include Black and gay community closeness, drug use, sexual risk behaviors, HIV testing, and health promotion behaviors. Closeness with the gay community was associated with greater pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) knowledge aswell as participating in health promotion programs along with higher rates of transactional sex and having sex under the influence of substances, and increased odds of self-reported HIV seropositivity. Involvement in the Black community was associated with lower odds of reporting being HIV positive. Findings suggest that programs and initiatives are needed to help promote the positive aspects of the Black and gay communities,while minimizing the negative correlates of such involvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the different ways in which gay men in Serbia perceive PrEP as a novel method of HIV prevention. In the article, I draw on data from my research on PrEP use among thirty gay men in Belgrade. The use of PrEP is still very low amongst gay communities in Serbia due to their rejection of PrEP and due to the stigma around PrEP use. In Serbia, the social significance of PrEP relates to HIV status disclosure on gay social/dating media. Paradoxically, on gay dating sites, the signifier “PrEP” blurs the line between HIV positive gay men – who have achieved undetectable HIV status through a potent ARV therapy – and those HIV negative gay men who use PrEP as a preventative tool against HIV transmission. In the article, I will argue that a new form of gay identity has emerged on gay dating apps in Serbia – “undetectable, on PrEP.” This new identity emerges from confusion in HIV risk assessment. The use of PrEP has been seen as a marker to denote someone’s HIV negative status and to protect them from HIV transmission. However, some gay men with an undetectable HIV status would like to be regarded as HIV negative even though they are not, and thus they use the signifier “on PrEP” to highlight their desire to claim an HIV negative status. PrEP has many symbolic valences: from HIV status disclosure to assumed promiscuity. As I will argue, while the health paradigm is of utmost importance for Serbian gay men, internalized stigma additionally drives the low uptake of PrEP amongst gay communities in Serbia, thus contributing to the confusion regarding PrEP use and the overall approach to HIV prevention. This article finds that those respondents who accept PrEP without stigma or confusion regarding their HIV status are also more willing and ready to recommend using PrEP to other gay men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rigorous peer-reviews are the basis of high-quality academic publishing. Due to the great efforts of our reviewers, I Sexes i was able to maintain its standards for the high quality of its published papers. Thanks to the contribution of our reviewers, in 2021, the median time to first decision was 22 days and the median time to publication was 48 days. [Extracted from the article]