FOCUS
Urban sex workers, regardless of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, experience high levels of prejudice and discrimination that negatively impact their health outcomes. Moreover, these individuals often lack access to health care, employment, housing, and educational opportunities because of their culturally stigmatized status in society. Alberto’s research seeks to not only reduce prejudicial views of sex workers that alienate them from mainstream society, but also expand their level of access to lifesaving resources and support systems.
MORE ABOUT ALBERTO
As an openly gay Latino social worker that has worked extensively with the LGBTQ community, Alberto has spent over a decade organizing and advocating for marginalized communities. He believes HPRS will serve as a vehicle for transforming his research into policy change that will protect rather than undermine the rights and dignity of sex workers.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — MAY 2021
A Convergent Mixed Methods Study of the Impact of Stigma on the Sexual Health and Substance Use Outcomes of Internet-based Cisgender Male Sex Workers Who Have Sex with Men
Using a sex-positive feminist and intersectional lens, this study examines the impact of multiple forms of stigma on the sexual health and substance use outcomes of Internet-based cisgender male sex workers as well as the protective factors that may help them counteract the negative effects of stigma. Public health, policy, and social work implications are discussed, especially with regard to redefining sex work as a legitimate form of labor within a culture that negates the human rights of sex workers nationwide and worldwide.
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