"MSM" Revisited: Trans Inclusion in LGBT Medical Study
by dentedbluemercedes
August 11, 2010

http://dentedbluemercedes.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/msm-revisited/

Recently, I'd blogged about a term that's increasing in usage in HIV research and outreach: "MSM," or "men who have sex with men."  The term was originally invented because of a need to include not just sexually active gay men but also bisexuals and men who are not gay-identified but for whatever reason have casual or incidental sex with men.  It can also include gay- or bi-identified trans males, although they're often overlooked in the study (or sometimes even thought not to exist).  And, of course, it's often asserted that it includes or intends to include trans women.  I'd commented:

    I get it that effective terminology must be given to identify target high-risk groups for the sake of study.  I get it that the terminology needs to be both simple and encompassing.  I get it that HIV is a serious issue and relevant to the trans community, though not all trans sub-groups are high-risk.