Higher Rates of Low Socioeconomic Status, Marginalization, and Stress in Black Transgender Women Compared to Black Cisgender MSM in The MARI Study.

ABSTRACT

Most HIV research combines transgender women who have sex with men (TWSM) with cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM), despite emerging evidence of important differences. Using data from The MARI Study, we compared Black TWSM and Black cisgender MSM on personal and ecological factors. Black TWSM reported more unemployment (71.4% versus 51.4%, p = 0.015), incarceration (52.4% versus 36.0%, p = 0.046), stressful life experiences (median score 135.5 versus 90, p = 0.033), and HIV positivity (66.7% versus 22.9%, p = 0.008). Further research into the causes and consequences of these differences, and regarding TWSM specifically, is needed.