MSM

MSM stands for “men who have sex with men”. The term comes from public health, epidemiology and HIV/STI prevention and describes a sexual behaviour, not a sexual identity. It was used, among other contexts, during the AIDS crisis to include in prevention, research and healthcare men who have sex with men but do not necessarily describe themselves as gay, bisexual or queer.

Depending on the context, MSM may include cis and trans men; what matters is how the term is used in research, counselling or medical care. The term says nothing about whether a person has romantic feelings for men, how they name their sexual orientation, what relationship style they practise or which sexual activities they engage in. Some people find MSM a useful, neutral behavioural term, while others experience it as too medical, impersonal or distant from identity.

In prevention, the term is relevant because certain transmission risks for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections depend not on labels, but on specific practices, such as condomless anal sex, multiple partners, shared injecting equipment or lack of testing. Informed safer-sex decisions, regular STI testing, condoms, lubricant, vaccinations, PrEP or PEP depending on the individual situation, and open, non-stigmatizing counselling are important.