Straights Have Gay Sex, best, or worst, of both worlds? Options

[PalePhoenix]

Whether you're apt to file this under "OMG, No Waaay" or "Stating the Obvious, Part 437," it's worthwhile to note that this is to be reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine (link below), a peer-reviewed journal of the field, not some hotbed--pun intended--of homos or heteros with an agenda or a fear to entertain. And no, from what I gather, this is not merely some form of penetration by your girlfriend or wife while you're both drunk. It would apply to specifically male-male sexual contact of any kind (orogenital, anogenital, oral-anal, etc.). I'm not sure what it has to say about another man just sort of watching on the sidelines or sharing a third, female party. The threshold of homoerotic content in those liaisons are, I would imagine, too difficult to assess.

Many Straight Men Have Gay Sex
Nearly 10% of Self-Proclaimed 'Straight' Men Only Have Sex With Men

Nearly one in 10 men who say they're straight have sex only with other men, a New York City survey finds. 70% of those straight-identified men having sex with men are married. In fact, 10% of all married men in this survey report same-sex behavior during the past year. This means safe-sex messages aimed at straight and gay men are likely missing this important subgroup, suggest Preeti Pathela, DrPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and colleagues.

"To reduce the burden of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection among men who have sex with men, it is of utmost importance for [health care] providers to take a sexual history that ascertains the sex of a partner," Pathela and colleagues report. "Asking about a patient's sexual identity will not adequately assess his risk."

In 2003, Pathela's team performed telephone interviews with nearly 4,200 New York City men. They conducted the interviews in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian; a translation service helped with interviews in Greek, Korean, Yiddish, Polish, and Haitian Creole.

In nearly every study of sexual behavior, the percentage of men who report sex with men is higher than the percentage of men who report being gay. So Pathela and colleagues first asked the men if they were bisexual, gay, or straight. Then they asked about specific sexual behaviors.

Some of the findings:

• Straight-identified men who have sex with men report fewer sex partners than gay men.
• Straight-identified men who have sex with men report fewer STDs in the past year than gay men.
• Straight-identified men who have sex with men are less likely than gay men to report using a condom during their last sexual encounter.
• Straight-identified men who have sex with men are more likely to be foreign born than gay men.

Also, a man who says he is straight but is having sex with other men is more likely to be married than a straight man who has sex with women, according to the survey. Only 54% of the men who say they're straight and have sex with women are married, compared with the 70% marriage rate among the men who say they're straight but have sex with men.

Pathela and colleagues note that because they report fewer STDs and fewer sex partners than gay men, straight-identified men who have sex with men may think they are at lower risk of HIV and STDs. This isn't necessarily so. The men with whom these straight-identified men have sex may themselves have multiple sex partners and elevated STD and HIV risk. The low rate of condom use makes the straight-identified men vulnerable.

"Prevention messages should focus on the activities that pose risk -- for example, unprotected receptive anal sex -- and should not be framed to appeal solely to gay-identified men," Pathela and colleagues suggest.

So, after taking all that in, I'm left to wonder if there isn't a great big cognitive disconnect, a sociocultural divide, or just a strangely unproductive blurring of definitions. Probably a little of each, depending on who they asked...and whether they made their calls, say, on Friday and Saturday nights. While people will be a lot more honest when they feel their anonymity is being preserved, self-reporting runs into a lot of issues I won't entertain here.

Suffice it to say that I find it really, really weird that there's all this gay sex going on, but the obvious tendency not to regard it as "gay" not only points to a certain dissociative attitude about the behavior, it also presents clearer and increased health risks that may not be present in the so-called "gay-identified" groups. Do you have to admit you're gay to use a damn condom? How stupid is that? Do they think that by not saying they're gay or bi, the STDs are just going to pass them over?


Registration or academic access required for full text of their articles and past publications. If you see something you really must have, just drop me a line.

[Semperfidel]

I think "being gay" and "doing homosexual things" are already disconnected from any standard meaning, so trying to highlight more differences between them doesn't really help the issue. On the health front, if their only conclusion is "stop targeting anti-HIV ads just to out gay men," they probably could have let 4,200 guys eat their dinner in peace.

"Gay acts" become gay how, by the presence or intervention of another guy? So it's OK if you pay a hooker to get a strap-on, or encourage your girlfriend to finger your prostate? I guess it's not even a matter of "OK/not OK." These are just things people DO to give themselves physical pleasure. So they have fewer hangups about it all, and aren't fond of labels...that's probably looking on the bright side. Personally, I've never gained any sort of erotic pleasure from even THINKING of these things in relation to my own body, but if someone else thought I was gay then I can see how that makes more of a difference from some than what's in their ass ATM.

[ganymede]

Personally, I've never gained any sort of erotic pleasure from even THINKING of these things in relation to my own body, but if someone else thought I was gay then I can see how that makes more of a difference from some than what's in their ass ATM.

Really, you mite wanna give it a twirl, SemperFi. It won't kill you, you know. All the str8 boiz are doing it, or so I hear. I've got plenty of websites bookmarked as "proof," if you'd like.

Actually, I wonder if that sort of pornographic trend doesn't "put ideas in people's heads" more than we know. Teenagers learn a lot of their behaviors by modeling (and I don't mean "on the catwalk, on the catwalk"). If they thought Peyton Manning was getting the occasional male-male blowjob or a jolly rogering from one of his teammates, they might view the practice differently. It's all so much labeling, as I'm sure we agree, but if something doesn't turn you on even to think of it, then it's probably not your bag.

[PalePhoenix]

Well, it appears to have put some thoughts into Madonna's head. And her hands. And his ass. Enjoy.

[Galahad]

Despite the recent studies attempting to diminish our "official percentage" in the general population (from 13% to 5%, depending on what you've read), this article from Scientific American does a good job of explaining how sexuality isn't all genes OR behavior. It's on a continuum, dang it:

Is sexual orientation similar to eye color, consisting of fairly discrete categories? Or is it more like height—that is, falling along a continuum? As a psychologist, I have explored that question in several venues, including the February/March 2006 issue of Scientific American Mind [“Do Gays Have a Choice?”]. Although common thinking holds that everyone is either “gay” or “straight,” my new survey of nearly 18,000 people who voluntarily answered an online quiz shows that these terms are highly misleading. Sexual orientation actually lies on a smooth continuum, and the way people state their orientation is often a poor predictor of their true sexual behaviors and fantasies. Someone can call himself “gay” but behave “straight,” and vice versa. (read more, but not much)

I'm really not sure if they're trying to say that the terminology is what's keeping them from an accurate accounting of who's doing what with who, or that people just get a label based on who's doing the judging. You fool around with one guy in your whole life and suddenly you're gay? Nope. You have straight sex for a few years before you start having gay sex, so you're still bisexual? I don't think so. Of course, they didn't quiz ME.

[irishblessing]

Maybe they're all hanging out at the "Man Cave."

A two-week-long investigation by Johnson City police led to the arrest of 40 men for indecent behavior in city parks. The undercover investigation, conducted primarily in Winged Deer and Buffalo Mountain parks, is just the beginning for authorities, who say homosexual activities there have become a “serious problem.”

“Our parks are for family use. People should not be exposed to this while they are out there with their family or trying to enjoy the walking trails,” said Johnson City Police Chief John Lowry. “They are not built nor maintained for sexual activity, be it homosexual activity or heterosexual activity.”

“Part of this took place off the paved trails. There’s a thing out there (at Winged Deer Park) they’ve evidently termed the ‘Man Cave,’ ” Lowry said. “It’s a good way off the paved trail. It’s underbrush that’s grown up and resembles a cave.”

According to investigators, men frequent the Man Cave at all times of day specifically to take part in sexual activities with other men.

During their investigation, undercover officers often would strike up a conversation with a man who was approaching the trail leading to the Man Cave. The conversation quickly would turn sexual and, many times, led to proposals for sex, police said.

Several men exposed their genitals to the officers, while a few even groped the investigators without being provoked.

Authorities said Monday they fear the two parks have become known, “by word of mouth,” as places for such illegal activity. Those arrested in the recent sting live in various areas of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. They range in age from 26 to 85... (read more)

Is it fair to say that they can't ALL be gay? Sex stings seem like the best use of police time and public funds, don't they? After all, only gay men and other perverts congregate in woodsy areas for illicit blowjobs and groping. That leaves the straight people alone to sell their 11 yo daughters for football tickets. What could be more hetero and manly than that?

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[PalePhoenix]

Sex trends for the new year

...Pegging will really grow in popularity this year. This practice of female-to-male penetration is already big in the US. More people will also enjoy experimenting with adult toys, especially now that Durex is developing its range and stocking it in supermarkets and chemists up and down the country.

We'll keep going greener sexually, too, which is definitely a good thing. There will be a growing awareness of phthalates in sex toys (potentially harmful chemicals added to plastics to make them softer and more pliable) and ethical companies such as LoveHoney will continue to champion the cause for healthier alternatives. I hope we'll move towards some much-needed legislation in this area, too. (read more)

That's just the tail end (pun intended) of the article. The rest may be just as informative, or idiotic, depending. I have often found that any attempt to influence sexual acts and mores, in the same manner one dictates 'seasonal colors' or other consumer trends, is a doomed practice.

"Honey, I hear the Kleins next door have started snowballing. We've got to do that, or we'll be the laughingstock of the next PTA meeting."

[Bryan9000]

This one may bear keeping tabs on it:

Panel may rule if sex practices protected

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A Canadian man who claims he was discriminated against as a pagan who practices a form of sadomasochism will get to take his complaint to a human rights tribunal. An appeals court rejected a bid by Vancouver police on Tuesday to block a hearing on whether Peter Hayes' rights were violated when an officer refused to grant him the permit he needed to get a chauffeur's job.

Hayes complained to British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal that he was discriminated against because he is a pagan who practices a "BDSM lifestyle" and deserves protection under the human rights code, based on sexual orientation.

Police went to the courts, arguing the tribunal and a lower court judge erred in agreeing to hear Hayes' complaint because the laws designed to protect the sexual orientation of gays and lesbians did not extend to protecting types of sexual practices.

A B.C. Court of Appeal panel ruled unanimously that the police motion was premature since the tribunal's hearing was to decide what, if any, sexual practices deserved legal protection, and even the tribunal's chairwoman was unsure if the human rights code did that.

"How can the tribunal determine if BDSM falls within the meaning of 'sexual orientation' if it does not have a full understanding of what BDSM means?" Justice Anne Rowles wrote for the three-judge panel. (source)

This is a new wrinkle (at least for me to hear about). Canada, among others, is very tolerant about orientation, but this sounds like putting the cart before the horse, suggesting that protection stems from the sex act to the individual, and not vice-versa.

This comes after fighting by the GLTBQ community NOT to be described by our bedroom behaviors at ALL. However, disapproval of what this guy does as a consenting adult, in his private time, is not the State's business or a potential employer's.

[Galahad]

The way I read it, he's trying to have BDSM declared an orientation until itself, and therefore entitled to a protected status...despite the fact that a justice on the three-judge panel wrote, "How can the tribunal determine if BDSM falls within the meaning of 'sexual orientation' if it does not have a full understanding of what BDSM means?"

What does she want, a demonstration? Still, it's not an orientation. It's a practice. If it's not an innate part of someone's personality, it shouldn't matter as much. I think he should be free to practice...whatever...he wants, but protecting the desire to be tied up and talked down to means giving the protection to anyone else who engages in the practices of BDSM, which would include people who do it intermittently, used to do it at one time in their lives, or might "try it once or twice on lark." So, it's just not the same thing as GLBTQ. It's closer to a BLT.

[irishblessing]

Birds do it. Bees do it. Why don't we do it? Let's do it. Let's masturbate.

29,341 people took our surveys during the month of May, and the grand total of answers to our four surveys (with a total of 49 questions each for gay guys, straight guys, straight girls and lesbians)? A whopping 338,730.

The results were surprising, to say the least. Some of the more eye-opening stats:

41 percent of straight men have masturbated in a gym locker room -- while only 34 percent of gay men have.

51 percent of gay men say they masturbate more when they are in a relationship.

53 percent of gay men say they masturbate once a day.

More straight people (17 percent of men and 15 percent of women) find masturbation more enjoyable than having sex. In contrast, 8 percent of gay men and 8 percent of lesbians prefer masturbation to having sex with a partner.

Women moan: 33 percent of straight women and 34 percent of lesbians say they're moaners, opposed to 19 percent of straight men and 16 percent of gay men.

67 percent of straight men and 63 percent of gay men have masturbated at work. 52 percent of straight women have done the deed on the job -- but only 39 percent of lesbians have.

(read more, full results here)

Where do those at-work wankers find the time? More importantly, the privacy? I can't imagine ducking into a supply closet, or some filthy bathroom to rub one out. I know there are some people who get off on location, location, location...but that's not really for me. I won't even masturbate in front of a partner for months until I'm comfortable with him (or else I have to show him how to get me off).

[PalePhoenix]

College Wrestlers Pinned for Gay Porn Pics
Elite Nebraska Athletes, Paid for Poses, Kicked off Team; NCAA Eligibility Questioned

Two college athletes gifted with chiseled physiques befitting the cut-weight culture of their sport were kicked off Nebraska's elite wrestling team after nude photos of them appeared on a gay porn Web site.

Paul Donahoe, the 2007 national champion in the 125-pound wrestling class, and Kenny Jordan, who wrestled for the Cornhuskers at 133 pounds, received undisclosed compensations from the site www.fratmentv.com for pictures that showed each of the athletes naked and in various states of sexual arousal.

"Paul Donahoe and Kenny Jordan have been permanently dismissed from our wrestling program," Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning said in a statement released Tuesday. "The history of behavior of these men, including the current matter, does not reflect the standard of excellence we aspire to on and off the mat."

Personally, I don't see how this necessarily compromises their sporting abilities. They're always wresting pornstars on that site.

Because I know you wanna see 'em nekkid: http://fleshbot.com/photogallery/fratmennash/ , http://fleshbot.com/photogallery/fratmencal/

[Galahad]

More "wrestling" news:

Two football coaches from a Pennsylvania college were injured Tuesday morning after they fell four stories at Gaylord Opryland Resort.

Police said the two men, Scott Coy, 29, and Darren DeMeio, 23, were wrestling shirtless in their boxer shorts when they tumbled out a window from a room in the Delta Atrium section around 4:15 a.m... (read more)

Sure, sure. 4:15 in the morning, in their boxer shorts, "alcohol may have been involved." Out a double-paned window and down four stories, sure alcohol may have been involved. Also, gayness may have been involved.

[PalePhoenix]

Also, gayness may have been involved.

I just don't see two grown men rolling around in their boxers at 4am as anything else, do you?