Stigma

I am growing ever increasingly concerned regarding the stigma that surrounds monkeypox (MPX) as it relates to the queer community, namely MSM (men-who-have-sex-with-men). I'm getting a real "1980's HIV " vibe from what I am seeing in the news and on social media. 

The following is a brief passage discussing stigma (taken lovingly from my dissertation project). This can help frame important discussions that need to be had. 

Stigma. The word itself literally means “to

mark, brand, or tattoo.”(Merriman-Webster’s Online Dictionary, n.d.). Ancient Greeks

invented the word to describe the deliberate marking of slaves, criminals, and traitors to

the State with a physical mark (e.g., cuts, burns) to designate them as being “different”

and “Other.” These marks set them apart from the general public and social mores of

the day required these “Others” to be avoided. (Madru, 2003). It is easy to recall

Hawthorne’s literary figure, Hester Prynne and her scarlet letter, or the Star of David

and pink triangles that were sewn onto the clothing of Nazi concentration camp victims

to envision more modern symbols of this barbaric practice. In all of these instances,

individuals marked were considered discounted, less than human, having deviated from

some social norm, or possessing something within themselves that was undesirable

and to be feared.

Stigma may also be defined as “a discrediting social label.” (Wright et.al. 2007)

Also as behavior characteristics of individuals that run contrary to the norms of social

units, that is, they behave in ways that do not support shared beliefs of others (Ahern,

Stuber, Galea, 2006). Stigma can be negative reactions to socially unacceptable

characteristics (Chenard, 2007). Goffman (1963) in his now classic book defined stigma

as an undesirable and discrediting attribute that reduced a person from being viewed as

a whole person to a tainted or discounted one. Similarly, stigma may also be

considered a social identity within some social category which questions that person’s

humanity in such a way that they are considered damaged, flawed or devalued in the

eyes of others (Foster ,2007).

Stigma is socially constructed and contingent on relationships and context. It

occurs interpersonally, between people through words, gestures, meanings, and

feelings and via this subjective process results in such things as: labeling, stereotyping,

and strong emotional reactions. For example, during an interpersonal exchange, those

who stigmatize place individuals into distinct categories that they then use to base

stereotypical belief systems (Yang et.al, 2006).In attempting to classify some general

characterizations of stigma it is helpful to consider the following terms to help the

conceptualization process: discrimination, labeling, loss of status, discounting,

discrediting, stigma on an individual and group basis, institutional, cultural, internalized,

and whether the person stigmatized is a primary or secondary target (Foster, 2007).

Parker & Aggleton (2003) citing Foucault’s work, present the view that the process of

stigmatization requires marking of differences between types of people and then placing

them into hierarchal systems or structures of power. This structuring promotes the

interests and views of the dominant group. Dominant groups legitimize their standing

rank wise through hegemonic processes, whereby they “convince” those in the minority

to accept their reduced status. Unfortunately, stigmatized individuals or groups often

accept this reduced status, which ultimately reinforces their stigmatized condition. On

an organizational or institutional level stigma can produce structural discrimination.