Beware the Pure Spirit, Let the Flesh Instruct the Mind

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...

I’ve been at odds for the better part of today. I’d glanced at the news yesterday and heard some of the rants and rhetoric that poured out of the lips of this expert-at-nothing “reality” celebrity. Reality is in question here, that is, he’s an image created to appeal to a segment of society for purposes of selling a tv show. He’s not authentic by any means, and yet his comments have put people on edge. It began to bother me this morning as I was getting ready for work.   To state that I have mixed emotions is to understate what has been playing in my mind all day. Here’s a brief look at the diverse and conflicting thoughts I have been processing today in relation to his “truth” speech: ·          Personal belief ·          Religious faith ·          Hate speech ·          Prejudice hiding behind religious text ...

Notes from… Stigma As A Fundamental Cause of Population Health Inequalities – AJPH March 2013 Stigma is defined as a coocurrence of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination in a context in which power is exercised. Discrimination at the individual level (i.e., the unequal treatment that arises from membership in a particular social group) and structural level (i.e., societal conditions that constrain an individual’s opportunities, resources, and well being) is a constitutive feature of stigma. Fundamental cause theory – posits that some social factors remain persistently associated with health inequalities over time despite dramatic changes in diseases, risk factors, and health interventions. ·          A fundamental social cause influences multiple disease outcomes through multiple risk factors among a substantial number of people ·          A fundamental social cause...