Background: In January, , the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act was signed into law in Nigeria, further criminalising same-sex sexual relationships. We aimed to assess the immediate effect of this prohibition act on stigma, discrimination, and engagement in HIV prevention and treatment services in men who have sex with men MSM in Nigeria. We compared HIV clinical outcomes and stigma, including fear and avoidance of health care, across baseline and quarterly visits before and after implementation of the the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.
Outcomes assessed were measures of stigma and discrimination, loss to follow-up, antiretroviral therapy status, and viral load. Findings: Between March 19, , and Aug 7, , MSM participated in baseline study procedures, contributing to before legislation prelaw and after legislation postlaw visits. Interpretation: These analyses represent individual-level, quantitative, real-time prospective data for the health-related effects resulting from the enactment of legislation further criminalising same-sex practices.
Funding: National Institutes of Health. Publication types Research Support, N. Gov't Research Support, U. Gov't, Non-P. Research Support, U. Gov't, P.
