Sexual Behavior Change Among Gay and Bisexual Men During the First COVID-19 Pandemic Wave in the United States

Abstract Background After decades of navigating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, gay and bisexual men are responding to new and uncertain risks presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by adapting their sexual behavior. Methods This paper uses data from a national sample of 728 gay and bisexual men collected from April 10 to May 10, 2020, to examine changes to sexual behavior in response to the first wave of the pandemic in the USA. We also assess whether behavior modifications are associated with exposure to statewide public health measures, including Stay-at-Home orders. Results Sexual minority men report significant changes to their sexual behavior and partner selection during the first wave. Nine out of 10 men reported having either one sexual partner or no sexual partner in the last 30 days at the time of interview, a decrease compared to just before the pandemic for nearly half of men surveyed. Reporting no sexual partners in the last 30 days was significantly predicted by increased exposure to a Stay-at-Home order. Sexual minority men also reduced interactions with casual partners, increased no-contact sexual behaviors (e.g., masturbation and virtual sex), and engaged in new strategies to reduce their risks of infection from partners. HIV-positive men were particularly likely to adopt strategies including avoiding casual partners and avoiding public transportation to meet sexual partners. Conclusion Sexual minority men’s behavior changes during the first wave may have reduced the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their communities. Despite substantial changes in sexual behavior for most men in our sample during the initial first wave, we identify some concerns around the sustainability of certain behavioral changes over time and nondisclosure of COVID-19 symptoms to partners.

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Economic Insecurity among Gay and Bisexual Men: Evidence from the 1991–2016 U.S. General Social Survey

Sociological Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0731121419849100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 50-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lei Chai ◽

Michelle Maroto

Keyword(s):

Labor Market ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Economic Insecurity ◽

Social Survey ◽

Sexual Minority Men ◽

Minority Men ◽

And Bisexual

Although a sizeable body of research has examined the labor market outcomes for sexual minority men, suggesting that gay and bisexual men earn less than their heterosexual counterparts, fewer studies have addressed whether any apparent earnings disadvantages for sexual minority men extend to economic insecurity more broadly. Using 1991–2016 U.S. General Social Survey (GSS) data, we examine three measures of economic insecurity—household income, perceived financial satisfaction, and views about family income—among gay and bisexual men. We find that most sexual minority men experience multiple types of economic insecurity with larger disparities present for bisexual men. Consistent with the labor market literature, we observe that family structure and human capital acquisition primarily accounted for economic insecurity disparities for gay men, and family structure partially explained disparities for bisexual men.

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The Importance of Social Support, Positive Identity, and Resilience in the Successful Aging of Older Sexual Minority Men

Geriatrics ◽

10.3390/geriatrics6040098 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 98

Author(s):

Henrique Pereira ◽

Patrícia Silva

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Minority Men ◽

Positive Identity ◽

Minority Men ◽

And Bisexual

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between social support, positive identity, and resilience and the successful aging of older sexual minority men. The study involved having 210 self-identified gay and bisexual men aged between 50 and 80 years complete a cross-sectional online survey comprised of sociodemographic information; the Portuguese version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; the Lesbian, Gay, and multifactor Bisexual Positive Identity Measure; the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale 10; and the Successful Aging Perceptions Scale. The results showed that self-identified gay participants showed higher levels of positive identity, while bisexual participants scored higher for resilience, mental health, and successful aging. Higher levels of social support, resilience, and positive identity were significant predictors of mental health (28%), physical health (18%), and successful aging (10%) in our sample. These results offer similarities with the growing body of literature on the positive factors of successful aging in the gay and bisexual men communities, which is an important step in the development of aging and health preventive initiatives among this population.

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Predictors of sexual minority men’s sexual objectification of other men

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407519832669 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (11-12) ◽

pp. 3631-3650 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dawn M. Szymanski ◽

Renee Mikorski ◽

Trevor L. Dunn

Keyword(s):

Role Conflict ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Objectification ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Minority Men ◽

Pornography Use ◽

Younger Men ◽

Minority Men ◽

And Bisexual

Given the link between sexual objectification experiences and negative psychological and mental health outcomes for sexual minority men, it is important to explore which men are more likely to enact sexually objectifying behavior. We examined predictors of sexual minority men’s sexual objectification of other men (e.g., engaging in body evaluations, making unwanted sexual advances), including focusing on appearance, involvement in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community, pornography use, and men’s gender role conflict among 450 gay and bisexual men. Our findings revealed that importance placed on appearance, involvement in the LGBTQ community, and pornography use and less restrictive affectionate behavior between men were uniquely related to sexually objectifying other men. In addition, older men were more likely than younger men to sexually objectify other men, and gay men were more likely than bisexual men to sexually objectify other men.

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Sexual Health Determinants of Normal Weight, Overweight, and Obese Sexual Minority Men

Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1155/2021/1272316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Henrique Pereira

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

Sexual Functioning ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Health Determinants ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Minority Men ◽

Minority Men ◽

And Bisexual

Background. With the growing recognition of overweight and obesity as significant, international public health concerns, the body of research investigating the relationship between body mass index (BMI), sexual health, and sexual functioning in sexual minority men is still scarce. Objective. The purpose of this study is to assess sexual health determinants (sexual behavior and sexual functioning) in relation to normal weight, overweight, and obesity among gay and bisexual men. Methods and Materials. The survey included four categories of questions/measurements, encompassing sociodemographic information, protected/unprotected sexual behaviors, sexual functioning, and BMI. The survey was conducted online, and recruitment consisted of online notifications (emails and electronic messages) and advertisements sent to LGBT community organizations, mailing lists, and social networks. Results. The study sample was composed of 741 gay and bisexual men, ranging in age from 21 to 75 years (Mage = 43.30, SDage = 11.37); 62.5% of men self-identified as gay and 37.5% as bisexual. Prevalence of normal weight was 50.3%, of overweight, 33.3%, and of obesity, 16.4%. Participants with overweight and obesity showed a lower frequency of anal receptive sex without condoms when scompared to participants with normal weight. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis to assess the effects of BMI on sexual health showed that being younger in age, self-identifying as gay, being in a relationship, having longer penises, adopting insertive position in sex, and being normal weight were significant predictors of anal receptive sex without condoms, explaining 24.2% of the total variance. Yet, BMI was not predictive of sexual functioning. Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of including BMI in sexual behavior models of sexual minority men to better understand BMI’s role in influencing sexual risk.

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The COVID-19 Pandemic and Sexual Behavior among Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States

10.31235/osf.io/8fzay ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tara McKay ◽

Jeff Henne ◽

Gilbert Gonzales ◽

Rebecca Quarles ◽

Kyle A. Gavulic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behavior ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Sexual Partner ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

The United States ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Sexual Behavior Change ◽

And Bisexual ◽

The Impact

After decades of navigating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, gay and bisexual men are again responding to new and uncertain risks presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by adapting aspects of their sexual behavior. We fielded a survey of LGBTQ Americans’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic collected from April 10 to May 10, 2020, an important time period during which most states issued stay-at-home orders (April 10 to April 30) and also began implementing phased reopening (May 1 to May 10). In this paper, we limit analyses to a subsample of 728 gay and bisexual men and focus on changes to sexual behavior in response to the pandemic. We find that many gay and bisexual men made significant changes to their sexual behavior and partner selection. Nine out of 10 men in our sample reported having either one sexual partner or no sexual partner in the last 30 days, which, for many, was a substantial decrease compared to just before the pandemic. Men also made changes to the kinds of partners they had and their sexual activities with partners (e.g., more virtual sex), engaged in new strategies to reduce their risks of infection from partners, and expressed high levels of concern about how HIV may affect COVID-19 risk, treatment, and recovery. We expect these changes to be important not only for reducing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but also for reducing new sexually transmitted infections. Despite substantial changes in sexual behavior for most men in our sample, we note concerns around the sustainability of sexual behavior change over time and nondisclosure of COVID-19 symptoms to partners.

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Substance Use Patterns of Gay and Bisexual Men in the Momentum Health Study

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/1557988318786872 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1759-1773 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Eric Abella Roth ◽

Zishan Cui ◽

Lu Wang ◽

Heather L. Armstrong ◽

Ashleigh J. Rich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Gay Men ◽

Sexual Attraction ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Partners ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Anal Sex ◽

Number Of Sexual Partners ◽

And Bisexual

Research with male sexual minorities frequently combines gay and bisexual men as Men Who Have Sex with Men or Gay and Bisexual Men. When analyzed separately, bisexual men consistently feature negative health differentials, exemplified by higher substance use levels. This interpretation is not clear-cut because studies may combine bisexual men and women, use different dimensions of sexual orientation to define bisexuality, and/or not consider number of sexual partners as a possible confounding factor. This study conducted separate bivariate and multivariate analyses comparing gay to bisexual Momentum Study participants based on self-identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior, while controlling for number of sexual partners and sociodemographic, psychosocial, and sexual behavior measures. The study hypothesized that, regardless of definition, bisexual men feature higher substance use levels compared to gay men. Bivariate analyses revealed significantly higher ( p < .05) use among bisexual men for multiple substances in all samples. Nonprescription stimulants and heroin were significant in all multivariate logistic regression models. In contrast, all bisexual samples reported lower use of erectile dysfunction drugs and poppers, substances associated with anal sex among gay men. Subsequent analysis linked these results to lower levels of anal sex in all bisexual samples. Bivariate analyses also revealed that bisexual men featured significantly lower educational levels, annual incomes, and Social Support Scales scores and higher Anxiety and Depression Sub-Scale Scores. In summary, findings revealed bisexual men’s distinctive substance use, sexual behavior, psychosocial, and sociodemographic profiles, and are important for tailoring specific health programs for bisexual men.

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