Vulnerability Is Strength: A South Asian Perspective on Men’s Health By: Tevin Mathew
Posted: June 18, 2026
Growing up in a Christian Indian household in Mississippi, healthcare was valued. My mom, who is a nurse, encouraged preventive care, so routine doctor visits were normalized. Conversations about mental health and sexual health, however, were nonexistent. Like many immigrant families, these topics existed within a culture of silence shaped by stigma.
That silence continued throughout my education. Attending private schools through college, I received no sexual health education beyond abstinence-focused messaging. Although I learned about the importance of STI testing in college and encouraged friends to get tested, I struggled to educate myself more while navigating shame around my sexuality.
After graduation, I moved to Colombia to teach English. Despite having health insurance, I encountered various barriers to accessing sexual health services, including language differences, religious influences, unfamiliarity with the local healthcare system, and stigma surrounding both sex and being gay. These experiences reinforced how fear and silence around sexual health transcend borders.
My perspective changed when I became a Bilingual PrEP Navigator in Memphis. For the first time, I received extensive education about HIV prevention and learned that people living with HIV can live long, healthy lives and have an undetectable viral load, meaning HIV is untransmittable. Empowering Black American and Latine gay men also taught me that sexual health does not exist in isolation. Transportation, insurance, mental health, housing, community support, etc. all influence sexual health outcomes.
Despite working in HIV prevention, stigma still delayed my own decision to start PrEP. As a gay South Asian man in the South, I rarely saw people who shared my identities represented in HIV-related spaces. With encouragement from a close friend, I eventually started PrEP and have been taking it for several years. Being on PrEP has helped me feel more confident, informed, and empowered in managing my sexual health.
Representation, mentorship, and community matter. Men, especially gay men of color, must feel safe before they can prioritize their wellbeing. Many of us are raised to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness, yet vulnerability is a form of strength that we must claim.
During Men’s Health Week, I hope we create spaces where men feel seen, heard, and supported enough to prioritize their health. As a Gay Men of Color Fellow through NMAC, I am grateful for the space to build community and share lived experiences as tools for education and empowerment. By challenging stigma and fostering connection, we can help more men access care, embrace vulnerability, and live healthier lives.
Learn more about how to combat HIV stigma by visiting the Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign. Access the following link to learn more: https://bit.ly/nmac_togetherENG