Guest guest Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 From: Naz Foundation International Shivananda Khan To all Partner Projects and friends Dear Colleagues, In response to a recent posting which appeared in lgbt-India, a critique was made in regard to the statement: “MSM sexual health projects” that was used in the NFI posting. The respondent felt that the use of the acronym MSM in this context led to a sense of MSM being an identity term, when it is not. We believe that there may well be some validity to this argument. We are therefore asking you all as to what would be the most appropriate term we as a network and a part of ARMAN should use. Here are the points to think about. 1. While we as a sexual health network focus on the most vulnerable MSM, those who are economically disadvantaged, those who are gendered, and those who are stigmatised and socially excluded, i.e kothi-identified MSM and their partners, during the recent TOT programme in Lucknow we discussed broadening this to include other frameworks of MSM behaviours, whether such males have a self-sexual identity label or not. Perhaps we should have been calling our projects ‘kothi sexual health projects’? 2. MSM – males who have sex with males, or men who have sex with men (your choice) – is a behavioural term, and our sexual health work needs to look at behaviour as much as the range of identity labels that some males choose to give themselves. This includes the kothi labels, panthis (many of whom identify with the term man rather than with a sexual orientation/identity), dublis/do-parathas, etc. 3. In a sense we are developing sexual health services that address male-to-male sexual behaviours. 4. A further comment made by the respondent is that we should talk of “sexual health projects targeted at MSM”. I am not sure, but I find the word ‘targeted’ problematic based on the nature of how we as individual projects work and speak of empowerment and enabling environments. Maybe we should say: Working with MSM collectivities, or Working with MSM sexualities, or Working with MSM, or Working with male-to-male sexualities (MMS) What do you think? Send your responses as soon as possible to our office. We will then produce a brief report on this discussion with our recommendations and send that around. -- Arif Jafar Director - Regional Liaison Office Email: arif@... Naz Foundation International: Regional Liaison Office 9 Gulzar Colony, New Berry Lane, Lucknow 226001, UP, India tel: +91 (0)522 205781/205782 fax: +91 (0)522 205783 email: lucknow@... London Office: Director: Kim Mulji Palingswick House, 241 King Street, London W6 9LP, UK. Tel:+44 (0)208 563 0191 fax: +44 (0)208 741 9841 email: kim@... Executive Director: Shivananda Khan Email: shiv@... website:www.nazfoundint.com -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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