A Phenomenological Study of Acceptability of Preexposure Prophylaxis Therapy within the Lived Experiences of HIV Negative Male-to-Female Transgender Young Adults

The male-to-female transgender (MtF-TG) are individuals assigned a male gender at birth but self identify as female. MtF-TG young adults experience discrimination, stigmatization, isolation, and homelessness as a result of gender identity and gender expression. The transgender populations are linked to high rate of new HIV infection. The use of Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy demonstrated a decrease in HIV infection risk ranging from 42% to 73% among sexual minority individuals. The goal of this three-part study was achieved through concept analysis, data collection, and analysis. The following aims were addressed; analyze the concept of transgender, explore currently used HIV prevention practices and knowledge of PrEP therapy, explore the potential of acceptability of PrEP therapy, and explore facilitators and barriers to acceptance of PrEP therapy. The findings resulted in three manuscripts: Transgender: Concept Analysis focused on analysis of the concept of transgender; A Phenomenological Study of Acceptability of Preexposure Therapy within the Lived Experiences of HIV Negative Male-To-Female Transgender young Adults utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews of 15 self-identified HIV negative MTF-TG young adults and Colaizzi\u27s seven steps of data analysis to identify related themes; It\u27s Deal Breaker: Safe Sex Practices Among Homeless Male-To-Female Young Adults focused on thematic findings of secondary results of primary study. Thematic findings were attributes of MtF-TG, essence of life as MtF-TG, motivators and barriers for PrEP acceptability. Findings have potential to inform practice, policy changes, and future research. Key Words: male-to-female transgender (MtF-TG), phenomenology, transgender, gender dysphoria, transwomen