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The trouble with "MSM" and "WSW": Erasure of the sexual-minority person in public health discourse

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  • Young, R.M.
  • Meyer, I.H.

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with women (WSW) are purportedly neutral terms commonly used in public health discourse. However, they are problematic because they obscure social dimensions of sexuality; undermine the self-labeling of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people; and do not sufficiently describe variations in sexual behavior. MSM and WSW often imply a lack of lesbian or gay identity and an absence of community, networks, and relationships in which same-gender pairings mean more than merely sexual behavior. Overuse of the terms MSM and WSW adds to a history of scientific labeling of sexual minorities that reflects, and inadvertently advances, heterosexist notions. Public health professionals should adopt more nuanced and culturally relevant language in discussing members of sexual-minority groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Young, R.M. & Meyer, I.H., 2005. "The trouble with "MSM" and "WSW": Erasure of the sexual-minority person in public health discourse," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(7), pages 1144-1149.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2004.046714_8
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.046714
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    Cited by:

    1. Trang, Kathy & Ly, An Thanh & Lam, Le Xuan & Brown, Carolyn A. & To, Margaret Q. & Sullivan, Patrick S. & Worthman, Carol M. & Giang, Le Minh & Jovanovic, Tanja, 2021. "Mental health in HIV prevention and care: A qualitative study of challenges and facilitators to integration in Vietnam," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    2. Winskell, Kate & Sabben, Gaëlle, 2016. "Sexual stigma and symbolic violence experienced, enacted, and counteracted in young Africans’ writing about same-sex attraction," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 143-150.
    3. Julie Fish, 2008. "Navigating Queer Street: Researching the Intersections of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) Identities in Health Research," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 13(1), pages 104-115, January.
    4. Hankivsky, Olena, 2012. "Women’s health, men’s health, and gender and health: Implications of intersectionality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(11), pages 1712-1720.
    5. Miedema, Stephanie Spaid & Browne, Irene & Yount, Kathryn M., 2022. "An intersectional burden: Gender and sexual stigma against toms in Thailand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    6. Heidi Hoefinger & Srorn Srun, 2017. "“At-Risk” or “Socially Deviant”? Conflicting Narratives and Grassroots Organizing of Sex/Entertainment Workers and LGBT Communities in Cambodia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-20, August.
    7. Saleh, Lena Denise & Operario, Don, 2009. "Moving beyond "the Down Low": A critical analysis of terminology guiding HIV prevention efforts for African American men who have secretive sex with men," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 390-395, January.
    8. Manoj Kumar Honaryar & Yelena Tarasenko & Maribel Almonte & Vitaly Smelov, 2020. "Epidemiology of Cancers in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): A Protocol for Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-9, July.
    9. Liu, Chuncheng, 2020. "“Red is not the only color of a rainbow”: The making and resistance of the “MSM” subject among gay men in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).

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