These narratives contribute to the literature by documenting the evolving understandings of the category ‘MSM’ among Black men to reflect intersections between race, socioeconomic status, sexual behavior, sexuality, subjectivities, and social context. Results suggest multiple overlapping usages of MSM as identity and behavior, reflecting internalization of behavioral categories and co-creation of identities unique to the Black community. and among the most heavily affected by the epidemic, the Deep South, we conducted four focus groups (n=29) with Black men who reported having sex with other men residing in Jackson, Mississippi. To better understand diversity within MSM in a geographic region with the largest proportion of Black Americans in the U.S.
Innovative strategies are needed to support the health of this community however, public health efforts primarily approach MSM as a monolithic population erasing the diverse identities, practices, and sexualities within and beyond this category. Men who have sex with men (MSM) and other same-gender-loving men continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, particularly among the Black population.