Localocentricity, mental health and medical poverty in communication about sex work, HIV and AIDS among trans women engaged in sex work

Abstract

Trans women engaged in sex work live at the intersections of discrimination against sex workers, women and transgender people. Dominant public health approaches have constructed trans women in sex work as a group at high risk of HIV infection. This study employed localocentricity, situated within a cultured-centred approach, as a theoretical framework to document health narratives among 29 trans women who had knowledge of or experience in sex work. This theoretical framing draws attention to the articulations between health and illness expressed by trans women in sex work in USA. Research participants emphasised how their health was affected by extreme socio-political-cultural marginalisation as well as medical poverty and mental health issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Trans women
• sex work
• HIV
• mental health
• localocentricity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 VA refers to Veteran’s Administration or the US Department of Veterans Affairs (https://www.va.gov/about_va/).

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by the Waterhouse Family Institute for Communication and Society at Villanova University, USA.