Addressing Stigma Among Gay Men Who Party-n-Play: The Role of Social Work

Background and Purpose: ‘Party-n-Play’ (PNP) is sex between gay and bisexual men (GBM) that occurs under the influence of substances. This phenomenon is rife with stigma that presents a layer of complexity in the lives of GBM who PNP and impacts the vulnerability of this population to inequitable health outcomes. The current study sought to: 1) identify how multiple forms of stigma affect PNP-involved GBM, including their health and well-being; 2) examine the ways PNP-involved GBM resist stigma.

Methods: Participants were recruited through social media, online postings, venue-based ads, and community organizations. In-depth 1 hour interviews were conducted between October and December 2016, with 44 self-identifying gay, bisexual, two-spirit, and queer men who lived in the Greater Toronto Area, and who used various substances (e.g., crystal methamphetamine, GHB/GBL, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA/ecstasy, poppers) before or during sex with another man during the previous month. Participants were asked questions about their sexual behaviours, their use of drugs in general and, more specifically, their experiences with sex while under the influence of drugs. In addition, participants were queried regarding their experiences with healthcare and social service providers, including social workers. Interviews were analyzed using a critical discourse methodology with an emphasis on discourses emerging from the data and a focus on the way participants embodied or resisted stigmatizing discourses.

Results: Among 44 participants: the mean age was 37 years (SD=8.6, range=20-69); 18 (40%) were men of colour; 23 (55%) self-reported HIV-positive status; 30 (68%) has some college/university education; and 14 (32%) used injection drugs. The interview findings show that GBM who PNP faced stigma from multiple sources – from families, gay/queer and mainstream communities, police, and in healthcare contexts. Discourses on sexual stigma and negative attitudes towards non-heterosexual behaviour, homophobia, racism, and drug-related stigma, as well as HIV-related stigma emerged as salient discourses in the narratives of participants. Stigmatizing discourses also had a deleterious effect on GBM’s interactions with healthcare and social service providers including disclosure of sensitive health information regarding sexual and drug-related practices. However, some PNP-involved GBM resisted stigma by describing how they capitalize on resilience in their communities, and build social bonds through relations of care and support in their PNP networks.

Conclusions and Implications: These results point to implications for social work practice, research, education. Given the deleterious effects of stigma on GBM who PNP, social work professionals must examine the role of stigma in the training of social work practitioners, and provide practitioners with tools to critique stigma. These findings also point out the resilience within networks of GBM who PNP, and underscore the need for social work interventions that address stigma and incorporate resilience. Addressing the health and social care needs of this group has important implications for enriching social work research on both practical and theoretical levels. Social work researchers and practitioners who work with GBM can use findings from this study to make active decisions about how to address stigma in their practice.