Sexual practices between men explained

Sexual activities involving men who have sex with men (MSM), regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity,[1] can include anal sex, non-penetrative sex, and oral sex. Evidence shows that sex between men is significantly underreported in surveys.[2] [3]

Behaviors

Various sex positions may be performed during sexual activity between men. Evidence shows that sex between men is significantly underreported in surveys due to social desirability bias.[2] [3]

Anal sex

Historically, anal sex has been popularly associated with male homosexuality. Many MSM, however, do not engage in anal sex, and may engage in oral sex, frottage or frot, and/or mutual masturbation instead.[4] [5] [6]

Among men who have anal sex with other men, the partner who inserts his penis may be referred to as the top, the one being penetrated may be referred to as the bottom, and those who enjoy either role may be referred to as versatile. When MSM engage in anal sex without using a condom, this is referred to as bareback sex. Pleasure, pain, or both may accompany anal sex. While the nerve endings in the anus can provide pleasurable feelings, an orgasm may be achieved through receptive anal penetration by indirect stimulation of the prostate.[7] [8] A study by the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB) indicated that men who self-report taking a receptive position during anal sex in their last encounter were at least as likely to have reached orgasm as men who adopted an insertive role.[9] A study sampling single people in the U.S. indicated that orgasm rates are similar among men across sexual orientations.[10] With regard to pain or being uncomfortable during anal sex,[11] some research indicates that, for 24% to 61% of gay or bisexual men, painful receptive anal sex (known as anodyspareunia) is a frequent lifetime sexual difficulty.[11]

Reports pertaining to the prevalence of anal sex among MSM have varied over time, with some percentages higher than others.[12] [13] [14] [15] A large percentage of gay and bisexual men self-report lifetime participation in anal sex.[12] Studies among gay men have indicated that percentages are similar when comparing men who prefer to penetrate their partners to those who prefer to be the receptive partner.[16] Some men who have sex with men, however, believe that being a receptive partner during anal sex questions their masculinity.[17] [18]

Non-penetrative sex and masturbation

There are a variety of non-penetrative sex practices. Frot is a sexual activity between men that usually involves penis-to-penis contact.[19] It is a form of frottage. Frot can be enjoyable because it mutually and simultaneously stimulates the genitals of both partners as it tends to produce pleasurable friction against the frenulum nerve bundle on the underside of each man's penile shaft, just below the urinary opening (meatus) of the penis head (glans penis). Intercrural sex is another form of non-penetrative sex that can be practiced between MSM. Docking (the insertion of one man's penis into another man's foreskin) is also practiced.

Manual sex is another non-penetrative sex act that can occur between men. This includes handjobs, which is the use of one's hands to stimulate someone else's penis or scrotum, and anal fingering, which is the use of one's fingers to stimulate someone's anus.

MSM may use sex toys. According to an online survey of 25,294 men who self-reported a homosexual or bisexual orientation, 49.8% have used vibrators. Most men who had used a vibrator in the past reported use during masturbation (86.2%). When used during partnered interactions, vibrators were incorporated into foreplay (65.9%) and intercourse (59.4%).[20]

Oral sex

MSM may engage in oral sex, including fellatio, which is using the mouth to stimulate another person's penis or scrotum, and anilingus, which is stimulating someone else's anus using the tongue and lips. Wellings et al. reported that "the equation of 'homosexual' with 'anal' sex among men is common among lay and health professionals alike," whereas an online survey of 18,000 MSM in Europe "showed that oral sex was most commonly practised, followed by mutual masturbation, with anal intercourse in third place."[4] A 2011 survey by The Journal of Sexual Medicine found similar results for U.S. gay and bisexual men. Kissing a partner on the mouth (74.5%), oral sex (72.7%), and partnered masturbation (68.4%) were the three most common behaviors, with 63.2% of the sample self-reporting five to nine different sexual behaviors during their last encounter.[21]

Health risks

A variety of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can result from sexual activity.[22] A 2007 study reported that two large population surveys found "the majority of gay men had similar numbers of unprotected sexual partners annually as straight men and women."[23] [24]

Legality

See main article: Criminalization of homosexuality and LGBT rights by country or territory. Some or all sexual acts between men are currently or were formerly classified as crimes in jurisdictions of some countries. In its December 2020 report, International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) found that certain sexual acts between men are criminalized in 67 of 193 UN member states and one non-independent jurisdiction, the Cook Islands, while two UN member states, Iraq and Egypt, criminalize it de facto but not in legislation.[25] [26] [27] In Egypt, there is no law against homosexuality but gay and bisexual men are prosecuted under other laws, most famously the Cairo 52.[28] [29] [30] In at least six UN member states—Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria (only northern Nigeria), Saudi Arabia and Yemen—it is punishable by death.[25] [31] In 2007, five countries executed someone as a penalty for homosexual acts.[28] In 2020, ILGA named Iran and Saudi Arabia as the only countries in which executions for same-sex activity have reportedly taken place.[25] [32] [33] In other countries, such as Yemen and Iraq, extrajudicial executions are carried out by militias such as Islamic State or Al-Qaeda.[25] Many other countries had such laws in the past, but they were repealed, especially since 1945.[34] [35] Such laws are inherently difficult to enforce;[36] more often than not, they are not commonly enforced.[35]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Eaton . A.D. . Scheadler . T.R. . Bradley . C. . McInroy . L.B. . September 2023 . Identity development, attraction, and behaviour of heterosexually identified men who have sex with men: scoping review protocol . . . 12 . 184 . 184 . 10.1186/s13643-023-02355-6 . free . 10542689 . 37777815 . 2046-4053 . 263231942.
  2. Turner CF, Ku L, Rogers SM, Lindberg LD, Pleck JH, Sonenstein FL . Adolescent sexual behavior, drug use, and violence: increased reporting with computer survey technology . Science . 280 . 5365 . 867–73 . May 1998 . 9572724 . 10.1126/science.280.5365.867. 1998Sci...280..867T . 20035266 .
  3. The Size of the LGBT Population and the Magnitude of Anti-Gay Sentiment are Substantially Underestimated . Management Science . 63 . 10 . 3168–3186 . 2013 . Katherine B. . Coffman . Lucas C. . Coffman . Keith M. Marzilli . Ericson . 10.1287/mnsc.2016.2503 . 35207796 .
  4. Book: Kaye Wellings. Kirstin Mitchell. Martine Collumbien. Sexual Health: A Public Health Perspective. 978-0335244812. McGraw-Hill International. 2012. 91. August 29, 2013.
  5. Goldstone. Stephen E. . Welton. Mark L.. 2004 . Sexually Transmitted Diseases of the Colon, Rectum, and Anus. Clin Colon Rectal Surg . 17 . 4 . 235–239. 10.1055/s-2004-836944. 2780055 . 20011265.
  6. Book: Gay Perspective: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God & the Universe. 978-1-59021-015-4 . Lethe Press. 2008. 139. February 12, 2011. Edwin Clark Johnson, Toby Johnson.
  7. Book: Rosenthal, Martha . Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society . Cengage Learning. 2012. 133–135. September 17, 2012. 978-0618755714.
  8. Book: The Orgasm Answer Guide. 978-0-8018-9396-4. JHU Press. 2009. 108–109. November 6, 2011. registration. Barry Komisaruk. Beverly Whipple. Sara Nasserzadeh. Komisaruk, Barry R. . Whipple, Beverly . Nasserzadeh, Sara . Beyer-Flores, Carlos .
  9. News: The Gender Orgasm Gap. Mona Chalabi. FiveThirtyEight. 20 August 2015. Mona Chalabi.
  10. Variation in Orgasm Occurrence by Sexual Orientation in a Sample of U.S. Singles. 2014. 10.1111/jsm.12669. 25131299. 6035747. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 11. 11. 2645–2652. Garcia Justin R.
  11. Book: Clinical men's health: evidence in practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. 2007. 273. October 14, 2011. Joel J. Heidelbaugh. 978-1-4160-3000-3.
  12. Book: Steven Gregory Underwood. Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles. 978-1-56023-375-6 . Harrington Park Press. 2003. February 12, 2011.
  13. Web site: Center for Disease Control . Increases in Unsafe Sex and Rectal Gonorrhea Among Men Who Have Sex With Men – San Francisco, California, 1994–1997 . January 29, 1999 . May 1, 2021.
  14. Laumann, E., Gagnon, J.H., Michael, R.T., and Michaels, S. The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States. 1994. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (Also reported in the companion volume, Michael et al., Sex in America: A Definitive Survey, 1994).
  15. Web site: Anal Sex Safety and Health Concerns. WebMD. August 19, 2013.
  16. The Journal of Sexual Medicine . 7 . 7 . July 2010 . 2391–2400 . 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01794.x . 3607668 . Breyer . Benjamin N. . Smith . James F. . Eisenberg . Michael L. . Ando . Kathryn A. . Rowen . Tami S. . Shindel . Alan W. . 20384941 .
  17. Book: John H. Harvey . Amy Wenzel . Susan Sprecher . The handbook of sexuality in close relationships. 978-0805845488. Routledge. 2004. 355–356. March 12, 2011.
  18. Book: Odets, Walt. In the Shadow of the Epidemic: Being Hiv-negative in the Age of AIDS . Duke University Press. 1995. 191–192. July 6, 2013. 978-0822316381 . registration.
  19. The New Sex Police. The Advocate. 2005-04-12. February 12, 2011. 39–40, 42. Here.
  20. Characteristics of vibrator use by gay and bisexually identified men in the United States. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01873.x. 2010. 20561168. 7. 10. 3467–76. Reece M. Rosenberger JG. Schick V. Herbenick D. Dodge B. Novak DS.
  21. 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02438.x . 21883941 . 8 . 11 . Sexual Behaviors and Situational Characteristics of Most Recent Male-Partnered Sexual Event among Gay and Bisexually Identified Men in the United States . 2011 . The Journal of Sexual Medicine . 3040–3050 . Rosenberger Joshua G.
  22. Web site: Ten Things Gay Men Should Discuss With Their Health Care Providers . 2024-02-09 . www.health.ny.gov.
  23. Web site: Sexual Behavior Does Not Explain Varying HIV Rates Among Gay And Straight Men – Medical News Today . 13 September 2007 . medicalnewstoday.com. February 10, 2015.
  24. Goodreau SM, Golden MR . Biological and demographic causes of high HIV and sexually transmitted disease prevalence in men who have sex with men . Sex Transm Infect . 83 . 6 . 458–462 . October 2007 . 17855487 . 2598698 . 10.1136/sti.2007.025627.
  25. Web site: ILGA . State-Sponsored Homophobia report - 2020 global legislation overview update . 10 January 2022 . en . 14 December 2020. 11, 25, 38, 85, 115, 131.
  26. Web site: Iraq debates law on death penalty for same-sex relationships – DW – 09/07/2023 . 2024-02-09 . dw.com . en.
  27. Book: Ahmady, Kameel Et al 2020: Forbidden Tale (A comprehensive study on lesbian, gay, bisexuals (LGB) in Iran). AP Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany. p77.
  28. Book: Asal . Victor . Sommer . Udi . Legal Path Dependence and the Long Arm of the Religious State: Sodomy Provisions and Gay Rights across Nations and over Time . 2016 . SUNY Press . 978-1-4384-6325-4 . en. 19–20, 65.
  29. Book: Tolino . Serena . The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East . 2020 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-008748-7 . en . LGBTQI Rights in the Middle East and North Africa.
  30. Web site: Egypt: Draft Law Criminalizes Homosexuality . 2024-02-09 . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
  31. Kameel Ahmady . Ahmady, Kameel, LGBT In Iran: The Homophobic Laws and Social System in Islamic Republic of Iran, PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology, Volume 18, Pages 1446- 1464, Issue, No. 18 (2021). . PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology. 2021 . 18 . 18 . 1446–1464 . Ahmady . Kameel .
  32. Kameel Ahmady . Ahmady, Kameel. Investigating the Dynamics of the Iranian LGBT Community from Legal and Religious Perspectives, Lampyrid Journal Vol. 13 pp 846 - 869. (2023) . Lampyrid Journal. 11 May 2023 . 13 . 846–869 . Ahmady . Kameel .
  33. Web site: Saudi Arabia: Man sentenced for homosexuality .
  34. Hildebrandt . Achim . Routes to decriminalization: A comparative analysis of the legalization of same-sex sexual acts . Sexualities . 2014 . 17 . 1–2 . 230–253 . 10.1177/1363460713511105. 145575130 .
  35. Book: Kane . Melinda D. . The Ashgate Research Companion to Lesbian and Gay Activism . 2015 . Routledge . 978-1-315-61314-7 . Decriminalizing Homosexuality: Gaining Rights through Sodomy Law Reform. 277.
  36. Dupont . Wannes . Pas de deux, out of step: Diverging chronologies of homosexuality's (de)criminalisation in the Low Countries . Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies . 2019 . 22 . 4 . 321–338 . 10.5117/TVGN2019.4.001.DUPO. 213698186 .

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