In August 2022, a study* came out and identified the prevalence of problematic drug use among transgender women and cis men having sex with men. A third of the survey participants were identified to have problematic drug use, with greater odds of substance abuse observed for those who engaged in sex work, had positive or unknown HIV status, had low HIV education, and displayed hazardous drinking.
While we know anecdotally that recreational drug use among the queer community exists, this study is one of the rare research that explored the prevalence of drug abuse among Filipino LGBTs. Arguably, the drug war that former president Duterte launched may have caused more stigma against those who use drugs, and steered policies towards away from harm reduction.
In this episode, recorded in June this year, I interviewed Dr. RJ Naguit, where we discussed the incidence of drug use in the Filipino LGBT+ community, the misconceptions around drug use, and how drug decriminalization might offer a better path to help people, including Filipino queers.
*Restar AJ, Quilantang MIN, Surace A, Ogunbajo A, Chan R, Adia A, Cu-Uvin S, Operario D. Characterizing Problematic Drug Use Among Transgender Women and Cisgender Men During the Emerging HIV Crisis in the Philippines: Implications for Policy Research. AIDS Educ Prev. 2022 Apr;34(2):116-130. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2022.34.2.116. PMID: 35438540; PMCID: PMC10442844.
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