Attitudes Toward Peer-Delivered Sexual-Health Services Among New York City Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals Who Have Sex with Men and Attend Collective Sex Venues

• Published in: Qualitative health research Vol. 32; no. 7; pp. 1167 - 1184
• Main Authors: Meunier, Étienne, Alohan, Daniel, Tellone, Stephen, Silvera, Richard, Cohall, Alwyn, Baran, Adam, Wakefield, Michael, Grov, Christian, Fisher, Celia B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Demography; Gays & lesbians; Gender; Gender nonconforming; Health Services; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Homosexuality, Male; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Male; Medical research; Men; Mens health; New York City; Qualitative research; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Sexual Behavior; Sexual health; Transgender persons; Workers; New York City; United States > US; New York City New York; transgender and gender nonconforming individuals; sexual health; gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; collective sex venues; HIV/STI prevention; peer-based work
• ISSN: 1049-7323; 1552-7557
• DOI: 10.1177/10497323221101714

Collective sex venues such as sex clubs are strategic sites to promote sexual health among sexual and gender minority individuals. We present qualitative findings from a multiple-method study on the acceptability of sexual-health services at collective sex venues in New York City (NYC) among attendees who identified as men, transgender, or gender non-conforming. In a survey used for sample selection (n = 342), most respondents (82.7%) agreed that “having outreach workers at sex venues is a good thing.” Interviewees (n = 30) appreciated how on-site services could promote sexual health in their community. They felt peer workers should be familiar with collective sex venues and share demographic characteristics with attendees. Some participants felt workers should keep some boundaries from attendees, while others felt they could be fully integrated in the environment, suggesting that either peer outreach or popular-opinion leader types of interventions could be feasible.