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Caught at the Clinic

African American Men, Stigma, and STI Treatment in the Deep South

University of Alabama

The literature on gender and health typically addresses behavioral patterns when discussing men’s attitudes to health. Few of these studies explore men’s anxieties or presentations of self in relation to health problems, particularly for stigmatizing conditions such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Through direct observation and focus group interviews of health workers, clients, and students, this study explores African American men’s attitudes toward attending STI clinics in the Deep South. The men’s concerns about STI clinics center on realistic health or stigma-related concerns. Using a gender-relational analysis, three main sources of fear are identified in relation to attending the clinics: Gender anxiety (attacks on masculinity), social anxiety (damage to social reputation through stigma), and racial anxiety (AIDS as genocide). These fears present a barrier to STI care for African American men.

Key Words: African American men • stigma • sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Gender & Society, Vol. 18, No. 3, 369-388 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0891243204264809


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