The St. Fleur family is well respected in the Haitian community because they are religious with great moral values. They moved to the United States because of political issues in Haiti. Ronald, the youngest son of this family, is 27 years old and lives at home with his mother and father. Recently, he began having fevers and subsequently developed pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital, where laboratory tests were HIV positive. Ronald was in shock when the doctor informed him that he was HIV positive. He confessed to the doctor that he was gay, but he could not tell his family. He said that he did not want to bring shame to the family. Because he couldn’t be in a formal relationship disowning to his family and the Haitian community’s view of homosexuality, he has been very promiscuous over the years.
1. What are Haitians’ views of homosexuality?
2. If Ronald’s parents were to learn of his positive HIV status, how might they react if they are religious and traditional?
3. Identify three major culturally congruent strategies a healthcare provider can implement to address HIV prevention practices in the Haitian community?
Haitian Culture and Homosexuality
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Haitian Culture and Homosexuality
Introduction
Haiti is an independent Caribbean country, which is the second-largest highland, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is among the most populated countries in the world today. Afro-Haitians are the largest racial or ethnic group in the country (Restavek Freedom, 2022). A good reputation is a very important aspect of life for Haitians. Christianity is the dominant religion among Haitians because of the significant European influence in the country. In the case study, the St. Fleur family is respected in the community because they are religious and uphold great moral values. The family moved to the United States due to political issues in Haiti. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Haitians view homosexuality, how they might react towards people with HIV, and HIV prevention practices in the Haitian community.
What are Haitians’ views of homosexuality?
Based on the case study, Haitians perceive homosexuality as a promiscuous act, that not only separates individuals from the love of their families but is also shameful to the entire family. According to Andrews (2017), the Haitian Senate, in 2017, enacted a law that prohibits demonstrations to support LGBTQIA. The Haitian senate proposed a law that allows the government to deny homosexuals a certificate of good life and morals, which is essential for university, jobs, and driver’s license. People also need a certificate of good conduct to apply for a passport as well as to start an organization (Andrews, 2017). This law reflects clearly how Haitians perceive homosexuality and other members of the LGBTQIA group. In the case study, Ronald was afraid to inform his family about his gay status because it is perceived as very promiscuous.
If Ronald’s parents were to learn of his positive HIV status, how might they react if they are religious and traditional?
Upon learning that Ronald is HIV positive, the parents would react based on the side they belong to, either religious or traditional. As a religious person, the parents would show some empathy to Ronald. They would give him some words of encouragement and even take him to a religious leader for counseling and encouragement (Martinez, 2021). As a religious person, his parents would give him hope and advise him to take medicine and return to God and everything will be well. On the other hand, if they were traditional, they would have the likelihood of discriminating against Ronald. People diagnosed with HIV have been facing discrimination and stereotypes in Haitian traditional families (Restavek Freedom, 2022). Despite government interventions, people in Haiti who are diagnosed with HIV are still facing stigmatization, especially the sexual minorities.
Identify three major culturally congruent strategies a healthcare provider can implement to address HIV prevention practices in the Haitian community?
HIV prevention in a traditionally oriented community can be challenging. The initiative can be achieved better if the strategies are congruent with the cultural practices. In Haitians, three HIV prevention strategies that are culturally congruent include limiting the number of partners, getting tested before engaging in sexual activities, and abstinence (Martinez, 2021). Having one or a few sexual partners is morally upright and is one of the values of Haitian communities. Abstinence is encouraged among young people or unmarried. Haitians are religious and value reputation hence the three prevention strategies reflect their cultural practices.
Conclusion
Haitians value reputation and moral uprightness. The presented case study is about a Haitian family who moved to the U.S. due to political issues. Haitians have a negative perception of homosexuality. As religious people, Ronald’s parents are expected to react in a positive way upon learning that Ronald is HIV positive. Limiting the number of partners, getting tested before engaging in sexual activities, and abstinence are some effective ways of preventing HIV infection in the Haitian community.
References
Andrews, K. (2017). For LGBTQIA+ Community in Haiti, New Law Takes Major Step Backwards. https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/news-and-politics/lgbtqia-community-haiti-new-law-takes-major-step-backwards
Martinez, O. (2021). A review of current strategies to improve HIV prevention and treatment in sexual and gender minority Latinx (SGML) communities. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 19(3), 323-329. https://doi.org/10.1080/14787210.2020.1819790
Restavek Freedom. (2022). Four important aspects of Haitian culture. https://restavekfreedom.org/2017/05/26/4-important-aspects-haitian-culture/