Intersections of Stigma, Mental Health, and Sex Work: How Canadian Men Engaged in Sex Work Navigate and Resist Stigma to Protect Their Mental Health

Abstract

Men engaged in sex work experience significant stigma that can have devastating effects for their mental health. Little is known about how male sex workers experience stigma and its effects on mental health or their strategies to prevent its effects in the Canadian context. This study examined the interrelationships between stigma and mental health among 33 Canadian indoor, male sex workers with a specific goal of understanding how stigma affected men’s mental health and their protective strategies to mitigate against its effects. Men experienced significant enacted stigma that negatively affected their social supports and ability to develop and maintain noncommercial, romantic relationships. Men navigated stigma by avoidance and resisting internalization. Strategy effectiveness to promote mental health varied based on men’s perspectives of sex work as a career versus a forced source of income. Programming to promote men’s mental health must take into consideration men’s diverse strategies and serve to build social supports.

Funding and Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant (M0P-11947) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. We are grateful to the 33 men who took the time to share their stories with us. We would also like to thank the project advisors and coinvestigators of the SPACES (Sex, Power, Agency, Consent, Environment, and Safety) study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: [Grant Number M0P-11947].